Subcutaneous delivery of poly(oxazoline) conjugates

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides polymer conjugates comprising a polymer and an agent, the agent linked to the polymer via a linking group containing a hydrolyzable moiety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is related generally to polymer conjugates. Thepresent disclosure relates more specifically to polymer conjugatescomprising a poly(oxazoline) polymer and an agent, the agent linked tothe poly(oxazoline) polymer by a releasable, hydrolyzable linker.Methods of using such conjugates for the treatment and methods for thepreparation of such conjugates are also provided.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

Development of drug conjugates with water-soluble polymers can enhancethe properties of the drugs, including water-solubility,pharmacokinetics, metabolism, bio-distribution, and bioactivity. Anumber of polymer-protein conjugates having stable linkages have beenapproved by FDA and are currently valuable medicines (Bentley, M. D. etal., Poly(ethylene) Glycol Conjugates of Biopharmaceuticals in DrugDelivery, in Knablein, J. (ed.), Modern Biopharmaceuticals, Wiley-VCHVerlag GbH, Volume 4, 2005, Chapter 2, pp. 1393-1418). Conjugation ofwater-soluble polymers including poly(ethylene glycol), poly(glutamate),and poly(hydroxypropylmethacrylate) with small molecule oncolytics hasled to several products in clinical trials, but as yet, no marketeddrugs (Mero, A., PEG: a useful technology in anticancer therapy, inVeronese, F. M. (ed.), PEGylated Protein Drugs: Basic Science andClinical Application, Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, 2009, pp. 273-281).Unlike the case of protein conjugates, it is frequently useful toformulate small-molecule conjugates with releasable, hydrolyzablelinkages. These polymer conjugates are known to significantly extend thehalf-lives of the attached small molecules. When the oncolytic drug,irinotecan, was attached to a multi-arm polyethylene glycol polymer, andinjected intravenously to mice the plasma half-life of its activemetabolite SN-38 was increased from 2 hours to 17 days (Eldon, M. A. etal., Anti-tumor activity and pharmacokinetics of NKTR-102,PEGylated-irinotecan conjugate, in irinotecan-resistant tumors implantedin mice, Poster number: P-0722, presented at the 14th European CancerConference (ECCO 14), 23-27 Sep. 2007, Barcelona, Spain).

The advantage of polymer conjugates of small molecule drugs derives fromthe typically short in vivo half-life of the drug. The short half-livesof these drugs require frequent dosing of several times daily whichresults in “pulses” of high concentration of the drug, followed bylonger periods where the drug concentration in the blood stream is belowthe amount required for therapeutic efficacy. For example, in somecases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), pulsatile stimulation ofstriatal dopamine receptors with short-acting dopamine agonists orlevodopa may actually accelerate molecular and physiological changesthat lead to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the central nervoussystem (CNS), thus promoting motor fluctuations (dyskinesias) that canbe disabling. Physiological levels that are maintained at a steady statewithout phasic peak and trough levels have been shown to eliminate theseside effects in both animals and humans. Low solubility of some of thesecompounds, combined with limited oral bioavailabity, further complicatestheir clinical use. These problems are largely solved by preparation ofa soluble polymer conjugate.

The art is lacking a polymer conjugate composition suitable forsubcutaneous injection that is able to provide sustained, controllabledelivery of an agent over a period of days to weeks. The presentdisclosure provides polymer conjugates comprising a poly(oxazoline)polymer and an agent, the agent linked to the polymer via a linkercontaining a hydrolyzable moiety. As shown herein, subcutaneousinjection of such a polymer conjugate provides sustained delivery of theagent at therapeutically effective levels of a drug over a time periodof days to weeks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A shows an HPLC chromatogram of azidoacetyl-rotigotine beforereversed phase chromatography purification

FIG. 1B shows an HPLC chromatogram of azidoacetyl-rotigotine afterreversed phase chromatography purification

FIG. 2 shows the pharmacokinetic profile of rotigotine after intravenousdosing of POZ rotigotine in male Sprauge-Dawley rats.

FIG. 3 shows the pharmacokinetic profile of rotigotine aftersubcutaneous dosing of POZ rotigotine in male Sprauge-Dawley rats.

FIG. 4 shows the pharmacokinetic profile of rotigotine aftersubcutaneous dosing of POZ-rotigotine in female Cynomolgus monkeys.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a polymer conjugatecomprising a poly(oxazoline) polymer and an agent, whereby the agent islinked to the polymer by a releasable, hydrolyzable linker so that theagent is releasable from the poly(oxazoline) polymer in vivo uponadministration of the polymer conjugate to a subject.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a polymer conjugatecomprising a poly(oxazoline) polymer and an agent useful in thetreatment of Parkinson's Disease (PD) or other diseases or conditionsrelated to dopamine insufficiency in the peripheral or central nervoussystem, whereby the agent is linked to the polymer by a releasable,hydrolyzable linker so that the agent is releasable from thepoly(oxazoline) polymer in vivo upon administration of the polymerconjugate to a subject.

In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a polymer conjugatecomprising a poly(oxazoline) polymer and a dopamine agonist, whereby thedopamine agonist is linked to the poly(oxazoline) polymer by areleasable, hydrolyzable linker so that the dopamine agonist isreleasable from the poly(oxazoline) polymer in vivo upon administrationof the polymer conjugate to a subject.

In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides a polymer conjugatecomprising a poly(oxazoline) polymer and rotigotine, whereby therotigotine is linked to the poly(oxazoline) polymer by a releasable,hydrolyzable linker so that the rotigotine is releasable from thepoly(oxazoline) polymer in vivo upon administration of the polymerconjugate to a subject.

In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a polymer conjugatecomprising a poly(oxazoline) polymer and ropinirole, whereby theropinirole is linked to the poly(oxazoline) polymer by a releasable,hydrolyzable linker so that the ropinirole is releasable from thepoly(oxazoline) polymer in vivo after administration of the polymerconjugate to a subject.

In any of the first through fifth aspects, the releasable, hydrolyzablelinker provides for release of the agent in vivo after administration ofthe polymer conjugate to a subject. The releasable, hydrolyzable linkercontains a hydrolyzable moiety. In one embodiment of these aspects, thereleasable, hydrolyzable linker may be a direct linkage between afunctional group on the agent and a functional group on the polymer. Insuch an embodiment, the hydrolyzable moiety is formed as a result of thelinkage between the functional group on the agent and a functional groupon the polymer. In another embodiment of these aspects, the releasable,hydrolyzable linker is linking group that contains a hydrolyzable moietyas well as other chemical groups. In such an embodiment, a firstfunctional group on the releasable, hydrolyzable linker forms a linkagewith the polymer and a second functional group on the releasable,hydrolyzable linker forms a linkage with the agent. The hydrolyzablemoiety may be formed as a result of such linkages or may be present inthe releasable, hydrolyzable linker. In one embodiment of these aspects,the hydrolyzable moiety is cleaved in vivo after administration of thepolymer conjugate to a subject. In one embodiment of these aspects, thehydrolyzable moiety is a carboxylate ester, a carbonate ester, acarbamate, a disulfide, a sulfide, an acetal, a hemiacetal, a phosphate,a phosphonate or an amide. In a particular embodiment, hydrolyzablemoiety is an ester.

In the second aspect, exemplary agents useful in the treatment of PD orother diseases or conditions related to dopamine insufficiency in theperipheral or central nervous include dopamine agonists. Exemplarydopamine agonists include, but are not limited to, rotigotine,pramipexole, quinagolide, fenoldopam, apomorphine, 5-OH-DPAT,ropinirole, pergolide, cabergoline, and bromocriptine.

In the third aspect, exemplary dopamine agonists include, but are notlimited to, rotigotine, pramipexole, quinagolide, fenoldopam,apomorphine, ropinirole, pergolide, cabergoline, and bromocriptine.

In the fourth aspect, the rotigotine is (−)rotigotine.

In the first aspect, the agent may be a diagnostic agent or atherapeutic agent. In one embodiment of this aspect, the therapeuticagent is an organic small molecule.

In a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of treatmentfor a disease, the method comprising the step of administering aconjugate of the first through fifth aspects to a subject.

In a seventh aspect, the present disclosure provides a method oftreatment for a disease, the method comprising the step of administeringa conjugate of the first through fifth aspects to a subject, wherein thelevel of the agent in the bloodstream is controlled by the nature of thelinking group, the dose of the polymer conjugate administered, the sizeof the polymer, the method of administration or a combination of theforegoing.

In an eighth aspect, the present disclosure provides a method oftreatment for PD or other diseases or conditions related to dopamineinsufficiency in the peripheral or central nervous system, the methodcomprising the step of administering a conjugate of the first throughfifth aspects to a subject.

In a ninth aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of treatmentfor PD or other diseases or conditions related to dopamine insufficiencyin the peripheral or central nervous system, the method comprising thestep of administering a conjugate of the first through fifth aspects toa subject, wherein the level of the agent in the bloodstream iscontrolled by the nature of the linking group, the dose of the polymerconjugate administered, the size of the polymer, the method ofadministration or a combination of the foregoing.

In a tenth aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of treatmentfor PD, the method comprising the step of administering a conjugate ofthe first through fifth aspects to a subject.

In an eleventh aspect, the present disclosure provides a method oftreatment for PD, the method comprising the step of administering aconjugate of the first through fifth aspects to a subject, wherein thelevel of the agent in the bloodstream is controlled by the nature of thelinking group, the dose of the polymer conjugate administered, the sizeof the polymer, the method of administration or a combination of theforegoing.

In any of the sixth through eleventh aspects, the polymer conjugate isadministered to a subject by subcutaneous administration.

In any of the sixth through eleventh aspects, the levels of the releasedagent in the plasma of a subject are controlled by the dose of polymerconjugate delivered via the subcutaneous route.

In any of the eleventh through sixteenth aspects, the method oftreatment provides sustained, controllable delivery of the agent over aperiod of days to weeks.

In any of the eleventh through sixteenth aspects, the method oftreatment may further comprise identifying a subject in need of suchtreatment.

In any of the eleventh through sixteenth aspects, the conjugate isadministered in a therapeutically effective amount.

In a twelfth aspect, the present disclosure provides for methods ofmanufacture of a conjugate of the first through tenth aspects.

In a thirteenth aspect, the present disclosure provides for kitscontaining a conjugate of the first through fifth aspects along withinstructions for administering the conjugate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Definitions

As used herein, the term “agent” refers to any molecule having atherapeutic or diagnostic application, wherein the agent is capable offorming a linkage with a functional group on a poly(oxazoline) polymeror a linking group. In one embodiment, the agent is a diagnostic agent.In one embodiment, the agent is a therapeutic agent. In one embodiment,the therapeutic agent is an organic small molecule. In a specificembodiment, the therapeutic agent is a dopamine agonists. In a furtherspecific embodiment the therapeutic agent is rotigotine. In a furtherspecific embodiment the therapeutic agent is (−)rotigotine. In a furtherspecific embodiment the therapeutic agent is ropinirole.

As used herein, the term “link”, “linked” “linkage” or “linker” whenused with respect to a polymer or agent described herein, or componentsthereof, refers to groups or bonds that normally are formed as theresult of a chemical reaction and typically are covalent linkages.

As used herein, the term “hydrolyzable” as is used in the phrases“hydrolyzable moiety” and “releasable, hydrolyzable linker” refers to achemical linkage that is cleavable in a subject under physiologicalconditions in the subject after a conjugate of the present disclosurehas been administered to the subject. In one embodiment, hydrolyzablerefers to chemical cleavage. In one embodiment, hydrolyzable refers tocleavage by a substance that is naturally present or induced to bepresent in the subject. In an aspect of this embodiment, such asubstance is an enzyme or polypeptide. Therefore, in one embodiment,hydrolyzable refers to an enzymatic cleavage. In one embodiment,hydrolyzable refers to a combination of the foregoing.

As used herein, the term “alkyl”, whether used alone or as part of asubstituent group, includes straight hydrocarbon groups comprising fromone to twenty carbon atoms. Thus the phrase includes straight chainalkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl,heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, undecyl, dodecyl and the like. The phrasealso includes branched chain isomers of straight chain alkyl groups,including but not limited to, the following which are provided by way ofexample: —CH(CH₃)₂, —CH(CH₃)(CH₂CH₃), —CH(CH₂CH₃)₂, —C(CH₃)₃,—C(CH₂CH₃)₃, —CH₂CH(CH₃)₂, —CH₂CH(CH₃)(CH₂CH₃), —CH₂CH(CH₂CH₃)₂,—CH₂C(CH₃)₃, —CH₂C(CH₂CH₃)₃, —CH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)(CH₂CH₃), —CH₂CH₂CH(CH₃)₂,—CH₂CH₂CH(CH₃)(CH₂CH₃), —CH₂CH₂CH(CH₂CH₃)₂, —CH₂CH₂C(CH₃)₃,—CH₂CH₂C(CH₂CH₃)₃, —CH(CH₃)CH₂CH(CH₃)₂, —CH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)₂,—CH(CH₂ CH₃)CH(CH₃)CH(CH₃)(CH₂CH₃), and others. The phrase also includescyclic alkyl groups such as cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl,cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, and cyclooctyl and such rings substituted withstraight and branched chain alkyl groups as defined above. The phrasealso includes polycyclic alkyl groups such as, but not limited to,adamantyl norbornyl, and bicyclo[2.2.2]octyl and such rings substitutedwith straight and branched chain alkyl groups as defined above.

As used herein, the term “alkenyl”, whether used alone or as part of asubstituent group, includes an alkyl group having at least one doublebond between any two adjacent carbon atoms.

As used herein, the term “alkynyl”, whether used alone or as part of asubstituent group, includes an alkyl group having at least one triplebond between any two adjacent carbon atoms.

As used herein, the term “unsubstituted alkyl” refers to alkyl groupsthat do not contain heteroatoms.

As used herein, the term “substituted alkyl” refers to alkyl groups asdefined above in which one or more bonds to a carbon(s) or hydrogen(s)are replaced by a bond to non-hydrogen or non-carbon atoms such as, butnot limited to, an oxygen atom in groups such as hydroxy groups, alkoxygroups and aryloxy groups; a sulfur atom in groups such as, alkyl andaryl sulfide groups, sulfone groups, sulfonyl groups, and sulfoxidegroups; a silicon atom in groups such as in trialkylsilyl groups,dialkylarylsilyl groups, alkyldiarylsilyl groups, and triarylsilylgroups; and other heteroatoms in various other groups.

As used herein, the term “unsubstituted aralkyl” refers to unsubstitutedalkyl or alkenyl groups as defined above in which a hydrogen or carbonbond of the unsubstituted or substituted alkyl or alkenyl group isreplaced with a bond to a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group asdefined above. For example, methyl (CH₃) is an unsubstituted alkylgroup. If a hydrogen atom of the methyl group is replaced by a bond to aphenyl group, such as if the carbon of the methyl were bonded to acarbon of benzene, then the compound is an unsubstituted aralkyl group(i.e., a benzyl group).

As used herein, the term “substituted aralkyl” has the same meaning withrespect to unsubstituted aralkyl groups that substituted aryl groups hadwith respect to unsubstituted aryl groups. However, a substitutedaralkyl group also includes groups in which a carbon or hydrogen bond ofthe alkyl part of the group is replaced by a bond to a non-carbon or anon-hydrogen atom.

As used herein, the term “unsubstituted heterocyclylalkyl” refers tounsubstituted alkyl or alkenyl groups as defined above in which ahydrogen or carbon bond of the unsubstituted alkyl or alkenyl group isreplaced with a bond to a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclylgroup. For example, methyl (CH₃) is an unsubstituted alkyl group. If ahydrogen atom of the methyl group is replaced by a bond to aheterocyclyl group, such as if the carbon of the methyl were bonded tocarbon 2 of pyridine (one of the carbons bonded to the N of thepyridine) or carbons 3 or 4 of the pyridine, then the compound is anunsubstituted heterocyclylalkyl group.

As used herein, the term “substituted heterocyclylalkyl” has the samemeaning with respect to unsubstituted heterocyclylalkyl groups thatsubstituted aryl groups had with respect to unsubstituted aryl groups.However, a substituted heterocyclylalkyl group also includes groups inwhich a non-hydrogen atom is bonded to a heteroatom in the heterocyclylgroup of the heterocyclylalkyl group such as, but not limited to, anitrogen atom in the piperidine ring of a piperidinylalkyl group.

As used herein, the term “unsubstituted heterocyclyl” refers to botharomatic and nonaromatic ring compounds including monocyclic, bicyclic,and polycyclic ring compounds such as, but not limited to, quinuclidyl,containing 3 or more ring members of which one or more is a heteroatomsuch as, but not limited to, N, O, and S. Although the phrase“unsubstituted heterocyclyl” includes condensed heterocyclic rings suchas benzimidazolyl, it does not include heterocyclyl groups that haveother groups such as alkyl or halo groups bonded to one of the ringmembers, as compounds such as 2-methylbenzimidazolyl are “substitutedheterocyclyl” groups as defined below.

As used herein, the term “substituted heterocyclyl” has the same meaningwith respect to unsubstituted heterocyclyl groups that substituted alkylgroups had with respect to unsubstituted alkyl groups. However, asubstituted heterocyclyl group also includes heterocyclyl groups inwhich one of the carbons is bonded to one of the non-carbon ornon-hydrogen atom, such as, but not limited to, those atoms describedabove with respect to a substituted alky and substituted aryl groups andalso includes heterocyclyl groups in which one or more carbons of theheterocyclyl group is bonded to a substituted and/or unsubstitutedalkyl, alkenyl or aryl group as defined herein. This includes bondingarrangements in which two carbon atoms of an heterocyclyl group arebonded to two atoms of an alkyl, alkenyl, or alkynyl group to define afused ring system. Examples, include, but are not limited to,2-methylbenzimidazolyl, 5-methylbenzimidazolyl, 5-chlorobenzthiazolyl,1-methyl piperazinyl, and 2-chloropyridyl among others.

As used herein, the terms “prevention”, “prevent”, “preventing”,“suppression”, “suppress” and “suppressing” refer to a course of action(such as administering a conjugate or pharmaceutical composition)initiated prior to the onset of a symptom, aspect, or characteristics ofa disease or condition so as to prevent or reduce such symptom, aspect,or characteristics. Such preventing and suppressing need not be absoluteto be useful.

As used herein, the terms “treatment”, “treat” and “treating” refers acourse of action (such as administering a conjugate or pharmaceuticalcomposition) initiated after the onset of a symptom, aspect, orcharacteristics of a disease or condition so as to eliminate or reducesuch symptom, aspect, or characteristics. Such treating need not beabsolute to be useful.

As used herein, the term “in need of treatment” refers to a judgmentmade by a caregiver that a patient requires or will benefit fromtreatment. This judgment is made based on a variety of factors that arein the realm of a caregiver's expertise, but that includes the knowledgethat the patient is ill, or will be ill, as the result of a disease orcondition that is treatable by a method or compound of the disclosure.

As used herein, the term “in need of prevention” refers to a judgmentmade by a caregiver that a patient requires or will benefit fromprevention. This judgment is made based on a variety of factors that arein the realm of a caregiver's expertise, but that includes the knowledgethat the patient will be ill or may become ill, as the result of adisease or condition that is preventable by a method or compound of thedisclosure.

As used herein, the term “individual”, “subject” or “patient” refers toany animal, including mammals, such as mice, rats, other rodents,rabbits, dogs, cats, swine, cattle, sheep, horses, or primates, andhumans. The term may specify male or female or both, or exclude male orfemale.

As used herein, the term “therapeutically effective amount” refers to anamount of a conjugate, either alone or as a part of a pharmaceuticalcomposition, that is capable of having any detectable, positive effecton any symptom, aspect, or characteristics of a disease or condition.Such effect need not be absolute to be beneficial.

General Description

The present disclosure provides polymer conjugates consisting of,consisting essentially of or comprising a poly(oxazoline) polymer and anagent whereby the agent is linked to the polymer by a releasable,hydrolyzable linker so that the agent is releasable from thepoly(oxazoline) polymer in vivo upon administration of the polymerconjugate to a subject.

Description of Polymer Conjugates

In a particular embodiment, the polymer conjugates of the presentdisclosure may be represented by the general formula I.R-POZ-(L-A)_(a)  Iwherein,R is an initiating group;POZ is a poly(oxazoline) polymer of the formula —[N(COR₂)CH₂CH₂]_(n)—containing at least one reactive group capable of forming a linkage withan agent or a linking group (for example, the releasable, hydrolyzablelinker);R₂ is independently selected for each repeating unit from anunsubstituted or substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alaralkyl orheterocyclylalkyl group and n is from 1-1000;L is a releasable, hydrolyzable linker containing a hydrolyzable moiety;a is 1 to 50; andA is an agent.

In certain embodiments, the agent is a diagnostic agent or a therapeuticagent. In certain embodiment, the therapeutic agent is an organic smallmolecule. In one embodiment, the agent is a compound useful in thetreatment of PD or other diseases or conditions related to dopamineinsufficiency in the peripheral or central nervous system. Exemplaryagents useful in the present disclosure are described herein. In oneembodiment, the agent is a dopamine agonists. In one embodiment, theagent is rotigotine. In one embodiment, the agent is (−)rotigotine. Inone embodiment, the agent is ropinirole.

As discussed herein, the releasable, hydrolyzable linker provides forrelease of the agent in vivo after administration of the polymerconjugate to a subject. The releasable, hydrolyzable linker contains ahydrolyzable moiety. In one embodiment, the releasable, hydrolyzablelinker may be a direct linkage between a functional group on the agentand a functional group on the polymer. In such an embodiment, thehydrolyzable moiety is formed as a result of the linkage between thefunctional group on the agent and a functional group on the polymer. Inanother embodiment, the releasable, hydrolyzable linker is a linkinggroup that contains a hydrolyzable moiety as well as other chemicalgroups. In such an embodiment, a first functional group on thereleasable, hydrolyzable linker forms a linkage with the polymer and asecond functional group on the releasable, hydrolyzable linker forms alinkage with the agent. The hydrolyzable moiety may be formed as aresult of such linkages or may be present in the releasable,hydrolyzable linker.

In one embodiment, the hydrolyzable moiety is a carboxylate ester, acarbonate ester, a carbamate, a disulfide, a sulfide, an acetal, ahemiacetal, a phosphate, a phosphonate or an amide. In a particularembodiment, the hydrolyzable moiety is an ester.

Regardless of the form of the linkage linking the agent to the polymer,the linkage is a releasable, hydrolyzable linkage that allows the agentto be released from the polymer in vivo at some point afteradministration of the conjugate to a subject via cleavage of thehydrolyzable moiety. Such releasable, hydrolyzable linkage andhydrolyzable moieties are discussed herein. The release kinetics of theagent from the conjugate provides sustained, controllable delivery ofthe agent over a period of days to weeks. In one embodiment, the releasekinetics of the agent from the polymer is controlled by the nature ofthe linking group, the dose of the polymer conjugate administered, thesize of the polymer, the method of administration or a combination ofthe foregoing.

The releasable, hydrolyzable linker may form linkages with any reactivegroup on the polymer backbone. The linkage between the releasable,hydrolyzable linker and the polymer may be formed on a terminal end ofthe polymer. Alternatively, the linkage between the releasable,hydrolyzable linker and the polymer may be formed using a side chaingroup of the polymer (referred to herein as a “pendent” position).

Exemplary R groups include, but are not limited to, hydrogen, alkyl andsubstituted alkyl groups. In one embodiment, the R group is an alkylgroup, such as a C1 to C4 alkyl group. In a specific embodiment of theforegoing, the R group is a methyl group. In another embodiment, the Rgroup is H. In yet another embodiment, the R group is selected to lack afunctional group. Additional exemplary R groups are disclosed in U.S.Pat. Nos. 8,110,651, 8,101,706, 8,088,884 and 7,943,141 and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/003,306, each of which is hereby incorporated byreference for such teaching.

In a particular embodiment, the POZ conjugate of the present disclosuremay be represented by the general formula II, wherein the linkagebetween the linking group and the polymer is formed at the “pendent”position.

whereinR is an initiating group;POZ is a poly(oxazoline) polymer of the formula —[N(COR₂)CH₂CH₂]_(n)—containing at least one reactive group capable of forming a linkage withan agent or a linking group (for example, the releasable, hydrolyzablelinker);R₂ is independently selected for each repeating unit from anunsubstituted or substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alaralkyl orheterocyclylalkyl group and n is from 1-1000;L is a releasable, hydrolyzable linker containing a hydrolyzable moiety;a is 1 to 50;A is an agent; andNuc is a terminating nucleophile.

Exemplary R groups include, but are not limited to, hydrogen, alkyl andsubstituted alkyl groups. In one embodiment, the R group is an alkylgroup, such as a C1 to C4 alkyl group. In a specific embodiment of theforegoing, the R group is a methyl group. In another embodiment, the Rgroup is H. In yet another embodiment, the R group is selected to lack afunctional group. Additional exemplary R groups are disclosed in U.S.Pat. Nos. 8,110,651, 8,101,706, 8,088,884 and 7,943,141 and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/003,306, each of which is hereby incorporated byreference for such teaching.

The Nuc group may contain a second functional group or be inert. WhenNuc contains a functional group, exemplary groups include, but are notlimited to, alkyne, amine, oxyamine, aldehyde, ketone, acetal, thiol,ketal, maleimide, ester, carboxylic acid, activated carboxylic acid(such as, but not limited to, N-hydroxysuccinimidyl (NHS) and1-benzotriazine active ester), an active carbonate, a chloroformate,alcohol, azide, vinyl sulfone, or orthopyridyl disulfide (OPSS). WhenNuc contains an inert group, any inert group may be used, including, butnot limited to —C₆H₅.

In one embodiment, Nuc is —S—CH₂—C₆H₅ and Nuc is inert.

In one embodiment, Nuc has the structure Z-B-Q and the POZ conjugate ofthe present disclosure may be represented by the general formula IIa

whereinZ is S, O, or N;B is an optional linking group; andQ is a terminal portion of a terminating nucleophile; in certainembodiments Q is inert (i.e., does not contain a functional group); inother embodiments, Q contains a second functional group.

Exemplary B groups include, but are not limited to, alkylene groups. Ina particular embodiment, B is —(CH₂)_(y)— where y is an integer selectedfrom 1 to 16.

In a particular embodiment, Z is S. POZ conjugates containing a sulfurgroup as described herein may be prepared by terminating the POZ cationwith a mercaptide reagent, such as, but not limited to, a mercapto-ester(for example, —S—CH₂CH₂—CO₂CH₃) or mercapto-protected amine (forexample, —S—CH₂CH₂—NH-tBoc). Such POZ conjugates provide for effective,large-scale purification by ion-exchange chromatography (to removesecondary amines), as well as allowing for control of polydispersityvalues (with polydispersity values of 1.10 or less) and for the creatingof conjugates with higher molecular weight POZ polymers. In anotherembodiment, Z is N. In a further embodiment, Z is O.

As stated above, Q may be inert or may contain a functional group. WhenQ contains a functional group, exemplary groups include, but are notlimited to, alkyne, amine, oxyamine, aldehyde, ketone, acetal, thiol,ketal, maleimide, ester, carboxylic acid, activated carboxylic acid(such as, but not limited to, N-hydroxysuccinimidyl (NHS) and1-benzotriazine active ester), an active carbonate, a chloroformate,alcohol, azide, vinyl sulfone, or orthopyridyl disulfide (OPSS). When Qis an inert group, any inert group may be used, including, but notlimited to —C₆H₅.

In one embodiment, L contains a hydrolyzable moiety and Z is S. Inanother specific embodiment L contains a hydrolyzable moiety, and Z isO. In still another specific embodiment L contains a hydrolyzablemoiety, and Z is N.

A variety of POZ polymers may be used in the POZ conjugates of thepresent disclosure. The POZ may contain a single type or class offunctional groups or may contain more than one type or class offunctional groups. The POZ be a linear POZ polymer, a branched POZpolymer, a pendent POZ polymer or a multi-armed POZ polymer. Variousrepresentative POZ polymers are described herein. The POZ polymer may beprepared by living cation polymerization as described in U.S. Pat. Nos.8,110,651, 8,101,706, 8,088,884 and 7,943,141 and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/003,306, each of which is hereby incorporated byreference for such teaching. In one embodiment, the POZ polymer isprepared by living cation polymerization.

In one embodiment of the foregoing, the POZ polymer has the formulaR₁—{[N(COX)CH₂CH₂]_(o)—[N(COR₂)CH₂CH₂]_(m)}_(a)—,

wherein

X is a pendent moiety containing a functional group capable of forming alinkage with the releasable hydrolyzable linker or the agent (therebyforming the releasable hydrolyzable linker);

R₂ is a group that is not reactive with the agent or the releasablehydrolyzable linker;

a is ran which indicates a random copolymer or block which indicates ablock copolymer

o is an integer from 1 to 50; and

m is an integer from 1 to 950.

In this embodiment, the agent or releasable hydrolyzable linker forms alinkage with X, the pendent moiety containing a functional group capableof forming a linkage with the linking group. Exemplary functional groupsfor X include, but are not limited to, alkyne, amine, oxyamine,aldehyde, ketone, acetal, ketal, maleimide, ester, carboxylic acid,activated carboxylic acid (such as, but not limited to,N-hydroxysuccinimidyl (NHS) and 1-benzotriazine active ester), an activecarbonate, a chloroformate, alcohol, azide, vinyl sulfone, ororthopyridyl disulfide (OPSS). X may comprise a linking portion thatlinks the functional group to the poly(oxazoline) polymer. Exemplarylinking portions include alkylene groups. In certain cases, the alkylenegroup is a C₁-C₁₅ alkylene group.

In a particular embodiment, X contains an alkyne group and thereleasable hydrolyzable linker contains an azido group. In anotherembodiment, X contains an azido group and the releasable hydrolyzablelinker contains an alkyne group. In still a further embodiment, Xcontains a carboxylic acid group and the releasable hydrolyzable linkercontains a phenolic group.

In a particular embodiment, R₂ is H, alkyl or substituted alkyl.

In a particular embodiment, the POZ conjugate of the general formula IIcan be represented as a compound of the formula IIa:

wherein in the variable groups are as defined above.

In a particular embodiment, the POZ conjugate of the general formula IIcan be represented as a compound of the formula IIb:

Linking Group

In the embodiments described above, the agent is linked to thepoly(oxazoline) polymer by a releasable, hydrolyzable linkage. Thereleasable, hydrolyzable linkage contains a hydrolyzable moiety allowingthe linkage to be cleaved after administration of the poly(oxazoline)polymer conjugate to a subject. The releasable, hydrolyzable linkage maycontain portions of the polymer and/or portions of the agent as suchportions have reacted to form the linkages required to form thepoly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate as discussed herein.

Exemplary hydrolyzable moieties include, but are not limited to,carboxylate esters (—C(O)—O—), carbonate esters (—O—C(O)—O—), carbamates(—O—C(O)—NH—), disulfides (—S—S—), sulfides (—S—), acetals(—CH(OR′)(OR″)), hemiacetals (—CH(OR′)(OH)), phosphates(—O—P(O)(OH)—(O)—), phosphonates (—O—P(O)(OR′)—(O)—) and amides(—C(O)—NH—); other hydrolyzable moieties are discussed herein. In aparticular embodiment, the hydrolyzable moiety is an ester. In addition,the releasable, hydrolyzable linkage may be a naturally occurring aminoacid, a non-naturally occurring amino acid or a polymer containing oneor more naturally occurring and/or non-naturally occurring amino acids.

In one embodiment, the releasable, hydrolyzable linkage is adi-substituted triazole that contains a hydrolyzable moiety in one ofthe R₃ or R₄ groups. In a specific embodiment, the di-substitutedtriazole has the structure:

In another embodiment, the di-substituted triazole has the structure:

In each of the foregoing structures:R₃ is a linker linking the triazole moiety to the polymer chain. R₃ isdefined by the functional group on the polymer chain. In one embodiment,R₃ is —C(O)—R₅—, where R₅ is absent or is a substituted or unsubstitutedalkyl from 1 to 10 carbons in length; andR₄ is —R₆—R₇—R₈—, where R₆ is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl orsubstituted or unsubstituted aralkyl, R₇ is a group containing thehydrolyzable moiety or a portion of the hydrolyzable moiety and R₈ isabsent or O, S, CR_(c), or NR_(c), where R_(c) is H or substituted orunsubstituted alkyl. In one embodiment, R₇ and R₈ combined form thehydrolyzable moiety. In one embodiment of the foregoing, R₆ is astraight chain substituted or unsubstituted C1-C16 alkyl or a branchedsubstituted or unsubstituted C1-C16 alkyl. In one embodiment, R₇ is—R_(a)—C(O)—R_(b)—, —R_(a)—O—C(O)—R_(b)—, —R_(a)—O—C(O)—R_(b)—,—R_(a)—CH(OH)—R_(b)—, —R_(a)—S—S—R_(b)—, —R_(a)—S—R_(b)—,—R_(a)—O—P(O)(OR₁₁)—R_(b)— (where R₁₁ is H or a substituted orunsubstituted C1-C5 alkyl), or —R_(a)—C(O)—R_(b)—, where R_(a) and R_(b)are each independently absent or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl. Inanother embodiment, R_(a) and R_(b) are each independently absent or aC1-C16 substituted or unsubstituted alkyl. In another embodiment, R_(a)and R_(b) are each independently absent or a C1-C5 substituted orunsubstituted alkyl. In another embodiment, R_(a) and R_(b) are eachabsent.

In a particular embodiment, R₇ is —R_(a)—C(O)—R_(b)—,—R_(a)—O—C(O)—R_(b)—, —R_(a)—CH(OH)—R_(b)— or—R_(a)—O—P(O)(OR₁₁)—R_(b)—, R_(a) and R_(b) are each absent and R₈ is O,R₇ is —R_(a)—O—C(O)—R_(b)— or —R_(a)—C(O)—R_(b), R_(a) and R_(b) areeach absent and R₈ is NH, and R₇ is —R_(a)—S—R_(b)—, R_(a) and R_(b) areeach absent and R₈ is absent.

In a particular embodiment, R₃ is —C(O)—(CH₂)₃ and R₄ is —CH₂—C(O)—O—,—CH₂—CH₂—C(O)—O— or —CH₂(CH₃)—C(O)—O—.

In another embodiment, the releasable, hydrolyzable linkage has thestructure R₉—Y—R₁₀, where Y is a hydrolyzable moiety and R₉ and R₁₀ areeach groups linking Y to the polymer conjugate and the agent,respectively. R₉ and R₁₀ may be the same of different. In oneembodiment, R₉ and R₁₀ are each independently absent or substituted orunsubstituted alkyl. In another embodiment, R₉ and R₁₀ are eachindependently absent or a C1-C16 substituted or unsubstituted alkyl. Inone embodiment, R₉ and R₁₀ are each absent.

In one embodiment of the foregoing, the linking group is—R₉—C(O)—O—R₁₀—, —R₉—O—C(O)—O—R₁₀—, —R₉—O—C(O)—NR₁₆—R₁₀— (where R₁₆ is ais H or a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C5 alkyl), —R₉—CH(OH)—O—R₁₀—,R₉—CH(OR₁₂)—O—R₁₀— (where R₁₂ is H or a substituted or unsubstitutedC1-C5 alkyl), —R₉—S—S—R₁₀—, —R₉—S—R₁₀—, —R₉—O—P(O)(OR₁₂)—O—R₁₀— (whereR₁₂ is H or a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C5 alkyl),—R₉—C(O)—NR₁₆—R₁₀— (where R₁₆ is a is H or a substituted orunsubstituted C1-C5 alkyl) or —R₉—[NR₁₆—CH(R₁₃)(R₁₄)—C(O)]_(q)—R₁₀—(where R₁₆ is a is H or a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C5 alkyl, R₁₃is H or a C1-C5 alkyl, R₁₄ is a side chain group on a naturallyoccurring or non-naturally occurring amino acid and q is 1-10).

In one embodiment, the rate of cleavage of the hydrolyzable moiety iscontrolled by the nature of the releasable, hydrolyzable linkage.Additional control is provided by other parameters as discussed herein.

In each of the foregoing, the hydrolyzable moiety of the releasable,hydrolyzable linkage may be cleaved to release the agent. In oneembodiment, the hydrolyzable moiety of the releasable, hydrolyzablelinkage is cleaved chemically after administration to the subject underphysiological conditions in the subject. In one embodiment, thehydrolyzable moiety of the releasable, hydrolyzable linkage is cleavedby a substance that is naturally present or induced to be present in thesubject after administration to the subject under physiologicalconditions in the subject. In one embodiment, such substance is anenzyme or polypeptide. In one embodiment, the hydrolyzable moiety of thereleasable, hydrolyzable linkage is cleaved by a combination of theforegoing.

Agent

The agent may be any agent useful in the treatment of a disease orcondition or the diagnosis of a disease or condition. In certainembodiments, the agent is a diagnostic agent or a therapeutic agent. Incertain embodiment, the therapeutic agent is an organic small molecule.Furthermore, the agent any molecule can be used having a therapeutic ordiagnostic application, wherein the agent is capable of forming alinkage with a functional group on a POZ polymer or the releasable,hydrolyzable linker.

In one embodiment, the agent is useful for the treatment of PD or otherdiseases or conditions related to dopamine insufficiency in theperipheral or central nervous system. In one embodiment, the agent isuseful for the treatment of PD. In such an embodiment, the agent may bea dopamine agonist.

Exemplary dopamine agonists include, but are not limited to, rotigotine,pramipexole, quinagolide, fenoldopam, apomorphine, 5-OH-DPAT,ropinirole, pergolide, cabergoline, and bromocriptine. In oneembodiment, the dopamine agonist is rotigotine. In one embodiment, thedopamine agonist is (−)rotigotine. In one embodiment, the dopamineagonist is ropinirole.

PD is a central nervous system disorder resulting from loss of dopamineneurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The loss of these neuronsin the brain leads to a deficiency of dopamine, a neurotransmitter thatis essential for normal coordination and movement. Striatal dopaminergicneurons fire in a random, but continuous fashion due to stable levels ofdopamine, allowing for precisely coordinated movements. In PD patientsthe pre-synaptic neurons degenerate. Administration of dopaminergicagents (dopamine agonists and levodopa) in an attempt to controlsymptoms leads to discontinuous stimulation of the post-synapticneurons, promoting motor fluctuations that can worsen as the diseaseprogresses (dyskinesias). Early symptoms of dopamine deficiency in PDinclude tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and gait problems. Cognitiveand behavioral problems as well as dementia occur in later stages of PD.

While there is no cure for PD at this time, symptoms of this disease aretreated with a variety of drugs aimed at maintaining dopaminergic tone.Drugs currently used for the treatment of PD include levodopa anddopamine agonists as well as other drugs. Levodopa is typically reservedfor the later stages of PD while the other classes are the drugs ofchoice in the early stages of PD. There are challenges associated withthese drugs. Levodopa can be administered orally, but gastrointestinaltract metabolism and erratic absorption limit bioavailability. Forlevodopa, bioavailability is less than 10% and even less reaches thebrain intact due to peripheral metabolism, including metabolism bydecarboxylase enzymes. To address this issue, decarboxylase inhibitorssuch as carbidopa are co-administered to inhibit peripheral metabolism.Furthermore, the short half-lives of these drugs require frequent dosingof several times daily which results in pulsatile stimulation ofstriatal dopamine receptors; this may actually accelerate the demise ofdopaminergic neurons in the CNS. Low solubility of some of thesecompounds, with limited oral bioavailabity, further complicates theirclinical use.

The use of dopamine agonists to treat PD is known in the art. The useof, 2-aminotetralins (a class of compounds with dopamine agonistactivity) date back to the late 1980s in disclosures by Horn, A. S.(U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,933, February 1988 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,308,December 1989). Horn discussed analogues and small molecule pro-drugs of2-aminotetralin to treat central nervous system disorders. One suchexample is rotigotine, a potent dopamine agonist. However,administration of rotigotine has proven to be difficult due to poorsolubility in aqueous medium and short half-life. Swart and de Zeeuwreport that oral and intraperitoneal bioavailability of rotigotine inrats to be less than 10% (Pharmacokinetics of the dopamine D2 agonistS(−)-2-(N-propyl-N-2-thienylethylamino)-5-hydroxytetralin in freelymoving rats. J. Pharm. Sci. 1993 February; 82(2):200-3). Studies in manshow that rotigotine has a half-life of 2.5 hours and it is rapidlymetabolized to the sulfate and glucuronide analogues at the phenolicgroup. In an effort to improve the characteristics and oralbioavailability of these dopamine agonists, Stefano, Sozio, and Cerasa(Molecules 2008, 13: 46-68) prepared acetyl, propionyl, isobutyryl andcarbamate pro-drugs. Esters of this type, however, would not be expectedto improve water solubility and the improvement in duration in actionwas marginally increased from 3 to 4 hours to 11 to 15 hours. Atransdermal patch was developed to address the suboptimalpharmacokinetics. This approach allows for 24 hours of delivery andimproved bioavailability, but stability issues relating to poorsolubility and crystallization in the patch resulted in this product'swithdrawal from the U.S. market until formulation issues were addressed.

Ropinirole is another non-ergoline dopamine agonist that is deliveredorally and has a half-life of 3 to 6 hours in man. Higher doses arerequired to achieve clinical benefit due to hepatic and renalmetabolism. In addition, the once-a-day tablet dose generates undesiredpeak and troughs in blood concentration.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for new compositions for thetreatment of PD and diseases or conditions related to dopamineinsufficiency in the peripheral or central nervous system and diseases.The present disclosure provides polymer conjugates containing apoly(oxazoline) polymer and an agent useful in the treatment of PD,diseases or conditions related to dopamine insufficiency in theperipheral or central nervous system. The foregoing disorders willbenefit from a polymer approach for sustained pharmacokinetics,increased bioavailability and ease of administration.

The polymer conjugates of the present disclosure have been exemplifiedby POZ-rotigotine and POZ-ropinirole. Other agents, including thosedisclosed herein, are also useful in the conjugates of the presentdisclosure.

Dopamine Agonists

For clarity, the agent may be any of the dopamine agonists discussedherein or other dopamine agonists that have appropriate chemicalfunctionality to form a linkage with a poly(oxazoline) polymer orreleasable, hydrolyzable linker of the present disclosure. The exemplarycompounds are presented by way of exemplification and are not intendedto be limiting.

Furthermore, the agent may be used to treat a variety of diseases orconditions. The present specification described certain agents usefulfor the treatment of PD, diseases and conditions related to dopamineinsufficiency in the peripheral or central nervous system. The foregoingexamples are presented by way of exemplification and are not intended tobe limiting.

Control of Release of Agent

The present disclosure provides poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates wherethe release kinetics of the agent from the poly(oxazoline) polymer canbe controlled by varying one or more parameters of the poly(oxazoline)polymer conjugate or route of administration. Such parameters include,but are not limited to, the nature of the linking group, the dose of thepolymer conjugate administered, the size of the polymer, and the mode ofadministration. Table 1 provides experimental data on control ofhydrolysis rates of the agent from the poly(oxazoline) polymer byvarying the nature of the parameters of the poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate.

As discussed above, the release kinetics of the agent from thepoly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate (i.e., the rate of cleavage of thereleasable, hydrolyzable linker) is controlled, in one embodiment, bythe nature of the linking group. For example, as shown in Table 1 forhydrolysis of polymer-triazine-alkyl-CO₂-rotigotine, changes in thealkyl group affect the hydrolytic release of the agent rotigotine.Furthermore, Table I shows that the nature of the polymer affect thehydrolytic release of the agent rotigotine. POZ polymers provided aslower release of the agent while PEG and dextran polymers provided arapid (less than 15 minute half life) release of the agent. Slowerrelease of the agent avoids a rapid spike in agent concentration in theblood followed by rapid clearance. Such a profile results in sustainedrelease of the agent over time. In some instances a singleadministration of a poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate of the presentdisclosure can provide for therapeutically effective concentrations ofthe agent in the blood over a period of several days to weeks.

In addition, the size of the polymer contained in the poly(oxazoline)polymer conjugate impacts the rate of release of the agent into systemiccirculation. For example, with subcutaneous administration, the rate ofrelease of the poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate from the subcutaneouscompartment is controlled, at least in part, by the size of thepoly(oxazoline) polymer. As polymer size increases, the rate of systemicclearance from the subcutaneous compartment decreases. As polymer sizedecreases, the rate of systemic clearance from the subcutaneouscompartment increases. As a result, the entrance of the polymer into thesystemic circulation, and subsequent cleavage of the releasable,hydrolyzable linker to release the agent, can be controlled.

Furthermore, the route of administration affects the rate of release ofthe agent into the systemic circulation. Administration by thesubcutaneous route results in a slower and sustained release of theagent into the systemic circulation compared to other routes ofadministration, such as for example, intravenous administration.Administration via the intravenous route results in a more rapid releaseof the agent into the systemic circulation. These concepts areillustrated in Example 29 and FIGS. 2 and 3 for rats. Example 30 showssimilar results for pharmacokinetics in monkeys, and Example 31 showssimilar results for pharmacodynamics for rats.

The plasma concentration of rotigotine (ng/mL) after intravenous andsubcutaneous injection of POZ-rotigotine is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,respectively. These results show that use of POZ conjugates ofrotigotine, whether dosed intravenously (IV) or subcutaneously (SC),will reduce the clearance rate of rotigotine from the blood whencompared to the parent molecule alone. The terminal plasma half-life(t½) for rotigotine, POZ acetyl rotigotine and POZ propyl rotigotine was2.8, 16 and 60 h, respectively. However, there is a striking differencein the PK profiles for the POZ-conjugates POZ acetyl rotigotine and POZpropyl rotigotine when route of administration is compared (IV vs SC).POZ-conjugates delivered IV are generally cleared in a bi-phasic patternwith little difference between POZ acetyl rotigotine and POZ propylrotigotine. However, when POZ acetyl rotigotine and POZ propylrotigotine are compared following SC administration there is a markeddifference. POZ acetyl rotigotine has essentially the same PK profilewhen delivered either SC or IV. POZ propyl rotigotine has a markedlyprolonged PK profile that is near “zero order” kinetics. The nature ofthe releasable, hydrolyzable linker plays a role in the release of theagent, in this case rotigotine, and the levels measured in rat plasmafrom day 1 to day 7 are higher for the propyl linker than the acetyllinker. The initial plasma concentrations of rotigotine during the first12 hours are lower for POZ propyl rotigotine when compared to the POZacetyl rotigotine conjugate. At 12 hours, the C_(max) values of plasmarotigotine were 6 ng/mL for POZ propyl rotigotine versus for 48 ng/mLfor the POZ acetyl rotigotine when dosed SC at the dose of 1.6 mg/kg.

These results show that controlled delivery of an agent can be “tuned”to release the agent with a desired release profile without an initialburst effect based on the nature of the linking group, the dose of thepolymer conjugate administered, the size of the polymer, the method ofadministration (for example, subcutaneous vs. IV injection) or acombination of the foregoing.

Methods of Treatment

The present disclosure provides polymer conjugates comprising apoly(oxazoline) polymer and an agent, the agent linked to thepoly(oxazoline) polymer by a releasable, hydrolyzable linker. Thepresent disclosure further shows that the release of the agent from thepoly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate can be controlled. In one aspect, anear steady state release of the agent from the poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate is achieved over a period of time from days to weeks. In oneembodiment, such a release profile provides a therapeutically effectiveconcentration of the agent over such time period. As a result, thepoly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates of the present disclosure are usefulfor treating a variety of conditions. Furthermore, the POZ polymerconjugates of the present disclosure allow for less frequentadministration as compared to the prior art compounds to achievetherapeutically effective concentrations of the agent in a subject. Inone embodiment, poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates of the presentdisclosure are administered once a day, once every other day, once aweek or at other desired intervals.

In one embodiment, a method of treating a disease state or condition isdisclosed. Such method comprises the step of administering to thesubject an amount of a poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate of the presentdisclosure to a subject. In one embodiment, such disease state orcondition is PD. In one embodiment, such disease state or condition is adisease or condition related to dopamine insufficiency in the peripheralor central nervous system. In such embodiments, any poly(oxazoline)polymer conjugate described herein may be used and the agent may beselected based on the disease or condition to be treated.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of treatinga disease state or condition related to dopamine insufficiency in theperipheral or central nervous system. Such method comprises the step ofadministering to the subject an amount of a poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate of the present disclosure to a subject wherein the agent is adopamine agonist.

In one embodiment, the disease or condition related to dopamineinsufficiency is PD. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a methodof treating PD. Such method comprises the step of administering to thesubject an amount of a poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate of the presentdisclosure to a subject wherein the agent is a dopamine agonist.

In one embodiment, the disease or condition related to dopamineinsufficiency is restless leg syndrome. Therefore, the presentdisclosure provides a method of treating restless leg syndrome. Suchmethod comprises the step of administering to the subject an amount of apoly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate of the present disclosure to a subjectwherein the agent is a dopamine agonist.

Any polymer conjugate of the present disclosure may be used in themethods above. In a particular embodiment, the following polymerconjugates may be used in such methods of treatment.

In one embodiment, the polymer conjugate is a poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate and the agent is a compound useful in the treatment of PD oranother disease or condition related to dopamine insufficiency in theperipheral or central nervous system.

In one embodiment, the polymer conjugate is a poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate and the agent is a dopamine agonist.

In one embodiment, the polymer conjugate is a poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate and the agent is rotigotine, pramipexole, quinagolide,fenoldopam, apomorphine, 5-OH-DPAT, ropinirole, pergolide, cabergoline,or bromocriptine.

In one embodiment, the polymer conjugate is a poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate and the agent is rotigotine or (−)rotigotine.

In one embodiment, the polymer conjugate is a poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate and the agent is ropinirole.

In the methods described, the polymer conjugate may be administeredalone or as a part of a pharmaceutical composition as described herein.In one embodiment, the subject is determined to be in need of suchtreatment. In a further embodiment, the polymer conjugate isadministered in a therapeutically effective amount. In the methodsdisclosed herein, the subject may be a mammal. In certain embodiments,the subject is a human.

In one embodiment, the methods of treatment are accomplished bysubcutaneous administration of the poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates ofthe present disclosure or pharmaceutical compositions containing suchpoly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates.

In addition, in one embodiment, such poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugateis administered once a day. In another embodiment, such poly(oxazoline)polymer conjugate is administered once every other day. In still afurther embodiment, such poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate isadministered every third day, every fourth day, every fifth day or everysixth day. In yet a further embodiment, such poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate is administered once a week. Other dosing frequencies may alsobe used based on the nature of the polymer conjugate selected and therelease kinetics of the agent.

The poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates described herein can also beadministered in combination with other therapeutic agents, for example,other agents that are useful for treatment of PD or any other conditionrecited herein. Accordingly, in one embodiment the present disclosurealso provides a composition comprising a poly(oxazoline) polymerconjugate described herein, at least one other therapeutic agent, and apharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier.

Kits

The present disclosure provides a kit comprising, consisting essentiallyof or consisting of a poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugate of the presentdisclosure, packaging material, and instructions for administering theforegoing to a subject for the treatment of PD or another disease orcondition related to dopamine insufficiency in the peripheral or centralnervous system.

The present disclosure provides a kit comprising, consisting essentiallyof or consisting of a polymer conjugate of the present disclosure, atleast one other therapeutic agent, packaging material, and instructionsfor administering the foregoing to a subject for the treatment of PD oranother disease or condition related to dopamine insufficiency in theperipheral or central nervous system.

Methods of Manufacture

In one embodiment, the agent is linked to the poly(oxazoline) polymerusing click chemistry. The click chemistry approach involves thereaction between an alkyne group and an azido group. In one aspect, theclick chemistry reaction involves the reaction of an azidoester on theagent and an alkyne on the poly(oxazoline) polymer. In a particularembodiment of this aspect, the azidoester group is formed by suitablechemical reactions with a chemical group on the agent, such as, but notlimited to, a hydroxyl group. An exemplary reaction would be thepreparation of an azidoester by displacing a halide from a halo acidwith sodium azide to form the azidoacid followed by esterification ofthe azidoacid with a hydroxyl group on the agent (exemplified here asrotigotine).

The azidorotigotine ester is then linked to an alkyne functionalitypresent on the poly(oxazoline) polymer. In a particular embodiment, thealkyne functionality is an acetylene functionality present at a pendentposition on the poly(oxazoline) polymer.

While the above method may be used, other approaches to the formation ofhydrolyzable moieties may be used. For example, a linkage containing anester hydrolyzable moiety may also be formed by creating an azidefunctional group on the poly(oxazoline) polymer, such as a pendent groupon the poly(oxazoline) polymer, creating an alkyne group on the agent,such as an acetylene ester of rotigotine, and reacting the azide groupand the alkyne group to form a releasable, hydrolyzable linkagecontaining a hydrolyzable moiety (in this case an ester bond).

In another approach, a carboxylic acid group can be created on thepoly(oxazoline) polymer, such as a pendent group on the poly(oxazoline)polymer, and reacting the carboxylic acid group by directly esterifyingan alcohol or phenolic group on the agent (for example rotigotine) toform a releasable, hydrolyzable linkage containing a hydrolyzable moiety(in this case an ester bond). In one embodiment, a carboxylic acid groupon the poly(oxazoline) polymer is generated at a pendent position on thepoly(oxazoline) polymer by including a carboxylated monomer in thepolymerization reaction.

In the preparation of the poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates of thepresent disclosure, the number of agents on the poly(oxazoline) polymeris controlled by the number of reactive groups present on thepoly(oxazoline) polymer; in one embodiment, the reactive groups arepresent in a pendent position on the poly(oxazoline) polymer. Forreactive groups at the pendent position, the number of reactive groupspresent on the polymer is controlled by the ratio of monomer units (forexample, monomer oxazolines) having functionalized side chains (forexample, acetylenes) capable of forming linkages with the agent orlinking group relative to monomer units having inactive side-chains (forexample, alkyls) used in the polymerization. In addition, for a givenratio of monomer units having functionalized side chains, the polymerlength can be controlled providing further control of the number ofagents loaded onto a given polymer conjugate. Therefore, the number ofagents attached to a particular polymer conjugate can be controlled. Asdescribed above, the nature of the linking group, the size of thepolymer and the route of administration allows control over the releasekinetics of the agent from the polymer. These combined properties allowone to “tune” the release of the attached agent by varying the amount ofagent delivered and varying the release kinetics of the agent for thedesired pharmacology.

Pharmaceutical Compositions

Poly(oxazoline) polymer conjugates of the present disclosure can beformulated for both human and veterinary use. These formulations containpharmaceutically accepted ingredients that act as fillers, binders,carriers, stabilizers, buffers, solvents, co-solvents, viscosityenhancers, lubricants, surfactants, flavoring and sweetening agents,taste-masking agents, inorganic salts, antioxidants, antimicrobialagents, chelating agents, lipids, phospholipids, (Ref: Handbook ofPharmaceutical Excipients, 3^(rd) edition, Ed. A. H. Kibbe,Pharmaceutical Press, 2000). The amount of agent in these formulationswill depend on their physicochemical properties, dose and mode ofadministration. Most dosage forms will generally contain 1 to 99% byweight of the total formulation.

Formulations suitable for oral administration can be in solid form andthey include tablets, pills, capsules, cachets, lozenges, fastdissolving solids, fine powders and granular powders. A tablet is acompression or mold of the drug conjugate and acceptable pharmaceuticalexcipients. Capsules are gelatin and non-gelatin cachets thatencapsulate the drug and excipients. Formulations are also in liquidform and they include solutions, suspensions, emulsions, syrups andelixirs. These liquids may be aqueous, sugar based and non-aqueousbased, glycol based.

Formulations suitable for parenteral use are sterile liquids and sterilepowders and lyophilized powders ready for reconstitution in a suitableaqueous medium. Examples of the latter are sterile water for injection,5% dextrose solution for injection, and 0.9% sodium chloride solutionfor injection, and lactated Ringer's injection. These formulations canbe administered intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, andintradermally. These formulations are pH balanced and isotonic to bloodand surrounding tissue. Similar formulations can be delivered as nasalsprays and eye drops.

Topical, transdermal and rectal formulations are water, polymer and oilbased. They can be dissolved or suspended in mineral oil, petroleumwaxes, liquid and solid polyols, polyhydroxy alcohols, cocoa butter,hydrogenated fats, surfactants, and esters of carboxylic acids.Transdermal formulations are reservoir or monolithic in design and thedrug conjugates are typically in soluble form.

EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLES Example 1 Synthesis of randomH-[(Ptyn)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-CO₂H

The synthesis of POZ polymers with various pendent groups is describedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,110,651 and 8,101,706, each of which is incorporatedherein by reference for such teachings. In a specific embodiment, thesynthesis of H—[(Ptyn)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-T-CO₂H is provided although other POZpolymers with different molecular weights, different initiating andterminating groups as well as different pendent groups may be producedby the same methods. In addition, block copolymers may be produced inaddition to random copolymers. Methods for producing random and blockcopolymers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,110,651 and 8,101,706, eachof which is incorporated herein by reference for such teachings.

For the synthesis of H—[(Ptyn)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-CO₂H, triflic acid (HOTf,173.3 μL, 1.96 mmol) was added to a solution of 2-pentynyl-2-oxazoline(PtynOZ, 3.76 g, 27.4 mmol, 14 eq) and 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EOZ, 46.61g, 470.2 mmol, 240 eq) in chlorobenzene (124 mL). After stirring for 5minutes at room temperature, the mixture was heated to 80° C. for 10hours followed by cooling to room temperature. In a separate flask, theterminating reagent was prepared by the drop by drop addition of methyl3-mercaptopropionate (1.23 mL, 0.0114 mol) into a suspension of sodiumhydride (60% in mineral oil, 0.272 g, 0.0068 mol) in chlorobenzene (34mL). This mixture was stirred for 7 hours, before the solution of livingpolymer of H-(Ptyn)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀ ⁺ was added. The resulting mixture wasthen stirred for 18 hours. The solvent was removed by rotary evaporationto yield a white residue. This residue was dissolved in water and the pHadjusted to 12.0. The resulting aqueous solution was purified byion-exchange chromatography using DEAE Sepharose FF. The aqueoussolution was saturated with NaCl (15% w/w) and extracted withdichloromethane. The combined organic phases were dried over anhydroussodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated using a rotary evaporator.The residue was precipitated by adding the dichloromethane concentrateto diethyl ether. The precipitated material was collected and dried invacuo to give 22.8 g of desired product as a white powder (50% yield).

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the usual backbone peaksat 1.13 ppm (m, 3H, CH₃CH₂CO—); 2.32 ppm (m) and 2.41 (s) (total area2H, CH₃CH₂CO—); and 3.47 ppm (m, 4H, —NCH₂CH₂N—). The terminal grouppeaks appear at 2.63 ppm (m, 2H, —SCH₂CH₂CO₂H), 2.74 ppm (m, 2H,—CH₂SCH₂CH₂CO₂H), and 2.85 ppm (m, 2H, —SCH₂CH₂CO₂H). The pendentpentynyl group peaks appear at 1.85 ppm (m, 2H, —CH₂CH₂C≡CH) and 2.03ppm (br s, 1H, —CH₂CH₂C≡CH). The number of pendent, Ptyn, groups weredetermined as 8.5 by comparing the integrations of terminal acetyleneproton and polymer backbone protons. GPC gave Mn=19,500 Da and Mp=20,800Da with PDI of 1.07.

Example 2 Synthesis of Azidoacetic Acid in Non-Aqueous Solvents

This example provides a general synthetic scheme for the synthesis ofvarious azidoalkyl acid linkers. To exemplify this method, the synthesisof 2-azidoacetic acid is provided. Through the substitution of2-bromoacetic acid, used in the synthesis of 2-azidoacetic acid, withother reagents azidoalkyl acid linkers, such as, but not limited to,3-azidopropionic acid and 2-azoidopropionic acid, may be produced.

To a solution of 2-bromoacetic acid (1 g, 7.20 mmol) in DMF (14.39 ml)was added sodium azide (0.491 g, 7.56 mmol). After stirring for 16 hoursat room temperature, the reaction mixture was monitored by RP HPLC (98%conversion).

H¹ NMR analysis (10 mg/mL in CDCl₃) showed the relevant peak at 3.84 ppm(s, 2H, N₃CH₂CO₂H).

Example 3 Synthesis of Rotigotine-2-Azidoacetate

In a 25 mL round bottom flask, was placed rotigotine (1 g, 3.17 mmol, 1equiv.), 2-azidoacetic acid-DMAP salt (0.849 g, 3.80 mmol, 1.2 equiv.)and 32 mL of anhydrous dichloromethane (DCM) and the mixture stirredunder argon. DMAP (0.077 g, 0.634 mmol, 0.2 equiv.) and DCC (0.785 g,3.80 mmol, 1.2 equiv.) were added as solids. The mixture was stirred for16 hours at room temperature. The mixture was then filtered to removeprecipitated urea and concentrated using a rotary evaporator. The crudemixture was first purified by silica gel column chromatography using amixture of ethyl acetate and hexanes (1:2) as an eluent to give a clearyellow oil (1.27 g, 92% yield).

A second purification was performed by reversed phase chromatography toremove free rotigotine and other small molecule impurities. A samplesolution for loading was prepared by dissolving crude product (350 mg)in 0.1% TFA in acetonitrile (4.05 mL), followed by addition of 1 N HCl(0.91 mL) and 0.1% TFA in water (4.04 mL). The sample solution wasfiltered through a 0.2 μm PTFE syringe filter, and then loaded to aWaters SunFire Prep C18 OBD 30/250 Column (from Waters) on an ÄKTAPurifier system equipped with an UV detector at 214 nm. 0.1% TFA inwater (A) and 0.1% TFA in acetonitrile (B) were used as mobile phase.The column was then eluted isocratically with 40% of mobile phase B atflow rate of 20 mL/min. The fractions that contained pure product werecollected and pooled. Acetonitrile in the pooled fraction was evaporatedby rotary-evaporation. The remaining aqueous solution was extracted withDCM (3×50 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and filtered,followed by evaporation of the DCM. The residue was dried in vacuum (293mg, 83%).

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 0.90 ppm (t,J=6.84 Hz, 3H), 1.25 (m, 1H), 1.29 (m, 1H), 1.49 (m, 1H), 1.59 (m, 1H),2.05 (m, 2H), 2.54 (m, 3H), 2.82 (m, 3H), 2.97 (m, 3H), 4.156N₃CH₂C(═O)O— (s, 2H), 6.81 (s, 1H), 6.88 (d, J=7.81 Hz, 1H), 6.92 (t,J=3.42 Hz, 1H), 7.02 (d, J=7.32 Hz, 1H), 7.13 (m, 2H).

RP-HPLC analysis showed that the product contained no free rotigotine.The HPLC chromatogram of product before (FIG. 1A) and after (FIG. 1B)reversed phase chromatography purification are shown.

Example 4 Synthesis of Rotigotine-3-Azidopropionate

In a 50 mL round bottom flask, rotigotine (500 mg, 1.56 mmol, 1 equiv.),3-azidopropionic acid (447 mg, 3.73 mmol, 2.4 equiv.—in 5 mL DCM), andpyridine (302 μL, 3.73 mmol, 2.4 equiv.) were dissolved in 50 mLanhydrous DCM and allowed to stir under argon. The solution was cooledin an ice-water bath for 5 min, and the bath was removed. To thesolution DCC was added (778 mg, 3.73 mmol, 2.4 equiv.). The solution wasallowed to stir at room temperature under argon. Following overnightreaction, reverse phase HPLC analysis of the reaction mixture showedcomplete conversion of free rotigotine to the ester form. The reactionmixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated to dryness on arotary-evaporator. The crude product was then purified by silica gelchromatography. The crude product was dissolved in a mixed solvent ofhexane-ethyl acetate (6 mL, 4:1 v/v) and then loaded onto a 300 mLsilica gel column (30 mm id). The column was eluted with hexane-ethylacetate (4:1 v/v). The fractions (10 mL each) were analyzed by TLC andreversed phase HPLC. The product fractions were pooled, evaporated byrotary-evaporation, and then dried under vacuum overnight. Yield: 292mg.

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 3.706 ppmN₃CH₂CH₂C(═O)O— (t, 2H) and 2.838 ppm N₃CH₂CH₂C(═O)O— (t, 2H).

Example 5 Synthesis of rotigotine-2-Azidopropionate

In a 100 mL round bottom flask was placed 2-azidopropionic acid (251 mg,2.02 mmol, 1.3 equiv.—in 3 mL of DCM), rotigotine (500 mg, 1.55 mmol, 1equiv.), and 4-DMAP (249 mg, 2.02 mmol, 1.3 equiv.—in 6 mL of DCM) andthe mixture was allowed to stir under argon. The solution was cooled byplacing the flask in an ice-water bath for 5 min. To the solution, DCCwas added (421 mg, 2.02 mmol, 1.3 equiv.). The progress of the reactionwas followed by reversed phase HPLC. Following overnight stirring atroom temperature, additional 2-azidopropionic acid (126 mg, 0.65 equiv.)in 2 mL of DCM and 4-DMAP (124 mg, 0.65 equiv.) were added to thereaction mixture, followed by DCC (211 mg, 0.65 equiv.). The solutionwas allowed to stir at room temperature for another 3.5 hours. HPLCresult shows 94% of conversion to ester. The reaction mixture wasfiltered, and the filtrate was concentrated to dryness on arotary-evaporator. The crude product was then purified by silica gelchromatography. The crude product was dissolved in hexane-ethyl acetate(6 mL, 4:1 v/v), and then loaded on to a 300 mL Silica Gel Column (30 mmid). The column was eluted with a hexane-ethyl acetate (4:1 v/v). Thefractions (10 mL each) were analyzed by TLC and reversed phase HPLC. Theproduct fractions were pooled, evaporated by rotary-evaporation, andthen dried in vacuum overnight. Yield: 307 mg.

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 4.203 ppmCH₃CH(N₃)— (q, 1H) and 1.642 ppm CH₃CH(N₃)— (d, 3H).

Example 6 Preparation of H-[(Acetyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K byattachment of Rotigotine Azidoacetate to Poly(oxazoline) 10 pendent acid

H-[(PtynOZ)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K polymer (1.306 g, 0.0653 mmol, 1.0equiv.; Example 1) was dissolved in 15 mL of THF in a 100 mL roundbottom flask. In a separate 50 mL round bottom flask, rotigotineazidoacetate (FW 384.50 Da, 251 mg, 0.653 mmol, 10.0 equiv.; Example 3)was dissolved in 15 mL of THF (15 mL). The rotigotine azidoacetatesolution was transferred to the 100 mL round bottom flask. The solutionwas flushed with argon. Copper (I) iodide (≧99.5%, 50 mg, 0.261 mmol,4.0 equiv.) was then added to the flask, followed by addition of TEA(127 μL, 0.914 mmol, 14.0 equiv.). The solution was allowed to stirovernight at 45° C. under argon. The green, crude reaction mixture wasfiltered with the aid of a 0.2 μm syringe filter, and then 0.1 N HCl (20mL) was added to the filtrate. The mixture turned brown in color. TheTHF in the mixture was evaporated rotary evaporation at 28° C.

Two column purification steps were employed to purify the crude product.In step one, a glass column (2 cm ID) was packed with a slurry of silicagel 60 (EMD, 70-230 Mesh, 30 mL) in 60 mL of 0.1N HCl. Column packingand elution was done by gravity. Prewashed (water and 2 mM HCl acid)Dowex® M4195 media (20 mL) was packed above the silica layer. The columnwas equilibrated with 2 mM HCl (50 mL).

In a second glass column, Amberlite IR-120H (40 mL) was packed andwashed with deionized water until the conductivity of the eluent wasless than 1 μS/cm. The column was then equilibrated with 2 mM HCl (40mL). The filtered crude reaction mixture (20 mL) which contained >300mg/L Cu^(+/2+) (measured by Quantofi Copper test stick), was loaded onto the first Dowex/silica gel column. The column was eluted with 2 mMHCl acid. The eluent that containing theH-[(Acetyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K polymer (100 mL) wascollected. The Cu^(+/)2+ level was less than 10 mg/L (Quantofi Coppertest stick). Free rotigotine in the eluent was then removed by theAmberlite IR-120H as next described. The eluent of the Dowex/silica gelcolumn (100 mL) was loaded onto Amberlite IR-120H (40 mL) column. Thecolumn was eluted with 1 mM HCl. To the eluent (150 mL) from theAmberlite column, NaCl was added to make 10% concentration. The cloudysolution was extracted with DCM (3×200 mL, gentle shaking) and driedover anhydrous sodium sulfate. The salt was filtered off, and thefiltrate was concentrated to ˜20 mL by rotary evaporation. Theconcentrated solution was added to 400 mL of ethyl ether to obtain aprecipitate. Following filtration, the precipitate was dried undervacuum. The yield was 1.13 g. RP-HPLC analysis showed the absence ofrotigotine and rotigotine azdioacetate. The product poly(oxazoline)conjugate of rotigotine was water soluble. The product had a rotigotinecontent of about 10% w/w.

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 5.479 ppm—NCH₂C(═O)O— (s, 2H), 6.945-7.197 from the phenyl and thiophene groupsof rotigotine.

Example 7 Preparation of H-[(Propionyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20Kby attachment of Rotigotine 3-Azidopropionate to Poly(oxazoline) 10pendent acid 20K

H-[(PtynOZ)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K (681 mg, 0.034 mmol, 1 equiv.;Example 1) was dissolved in 15 mL of THF in a 50 mL round bottom flask.In a 20 mL glass vial, rotigotine 3-azidopropionate (140 mg, 0.340 mmol,10.0 equiv.; Example 4) was dissolved in 5 mL of THF. The rotigotine3-azidopropionate solution was transferred into the 50 mL round bottomflask. The solution was flushed under argon. Copper (I) iodide, (≧99.5%,26 mg, 0.136 mmol, 4.2 equiv.) was then added to the flask, followed byaddition of TEA (20 μL, 0.144 mmol). The solution was allowed to stirovernight at 45° C. under an argon atmosphere. The green crude reactionmixture was cooled to room temperature and 0.1 N HCl (10 mL) was addedto it. The reaction mixture became a clear yellow-brownish color. TheTHF in the mixture was evaporated by rotary evaporation at 28° C.

The reaction mixture was purified, extracted and precipitated asexplained in Example 6. The yield was 611 mg. RP-HPLC analysis showedthe absence of rotigotine and rotigotine 3-azidopropionate. Thepoly(oxazoline) conjugate of rotigotine was water soluble. The producthad a rotigotine content of about 13% w/w.

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 4.829 ppm—NCH₂CH₂C(═O)O— (t, 2H), 6.876-7.194 from the phenyl and thiophenegroups of rotigotine.

Example 8 Preparation ofH-[(-[(α-Methyl-Acetyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K by attachment ofRotigotine 2-Azidopropionate to Poly(oxazoline) 10 pendent acid 20K

H-[(PtynOZ)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K (1.409 g, 0.070 mmol, 1 equiv.;Example 1) was dissolved in 15 mL of in a 100 mL round bottom flask. Ina 20 mL glass vial, rotigotine 2-azidopropionate (291 mg, 0.705 mmol,10.0 equiv.; Example 5) was dissolved in 15 mL of THF (15 mL). Therotigotine 2-azidopropionate solution was transferred into the 100 mLround bottom flask. The solution was flushed under argon. Copper (I)iodide (≧99.5%, 54 mg, 0.282 mmol, 4.0 equiv.) was then added to theflask, followed by addition of TEA (41 μL, 0.296 mmol, 4.2 equiv.). Thesolution was stirred overnight at 45° C. under an argon atmosphere. Thereaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, filtered through a 0.2μm PTFE syringe filter. 0.1 N HCl (20 mL) and added to the filtrate. Thecrude mixture turned clear brown. The THF in the mixture was evaporatedby rotatory evaporation at 28° C.

The reaction mixture was purified, extracted and precipitated asdescribed in Example 6. The yield was 541 mg. RP-HPLC analysis showedthe absence of rotigotine and rotigotine 2-azidopropionate. The productpoly(oxazoline) conjugate of rotigotine was water soluble. The producthad a rotigotine content of about 10% w/w. ¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 5.692 ppm —N(CH₂)CHC(═O)O— (s, H),6.943-7.196 from the phenyl and thiophene groups of rotigotine.

Example 9 Preparation of H-[(N-Ropinirole)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K byattachment of Ropinirole 3-azidocarbamate to Polyoxazoline 10 pendentacid 20K

Ropinirole-N-bromoethylcarboxylate

To a solution of ropinerole ropinirole hydrochloride (0.558 g, 1.88mmol) in dioxane (38 ml) was added triethylamine (2.10 ml, 15.1 mmol).After stirring for 5 minutes, 2-bromoethyl chloroformate (1.61 ml, 15.1mmol) was added slowly and the mixture was allowed to stir overnight atroom temperature. Water (40 mL) was added to give a mixture with pH of9.5. After stirring overnight, the mixture was stirred withdichloromethane (40 mL) and brine solution (10 mL) for 10 minutes. Thetwo layers were separated and the top layer was extracted withdichloromethane (40 mL). The combined organic phases were dried overNa₂SO₄, filtered, and concentrated to give dark red thick oil. Furtherpurification was performed by silica gel column chromatography, elutingwith dichloromethane/EtOAc (starting from 9:1, 4:1, and then 100% EtOAc)to give the desired N-acylated product as a dark red oil (0.170 g,22.01% yield).). ¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL DMSO-d₆, δ): 0.83 (t,J=7.5 Hz, 6H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 1.39 (m, 4H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 2.39 (t, J=7.5 Hz,4H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 2.62 (m, 4H, Pr₂NCH₂CH₂—Ar), 3.80 (s, 2H, —CH₂C(═O)—),3.80 (t, J=5.5 Hz, 2H, —OCH₂CH₂Br), 4.65 (t, 2H, —OCH₂CH₂Br), 7.04 (d,J=8.0 Hz, 1H, Ar H), 7.25 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H, Ar H), 7.63 (d, J=8.0 Hz,1H, Ar H).

Ropinirole-N-azidoethylcarboxylate

To a solution of Ropinirole-N-bromoethylcarboxylate (0.170 g, 0.414mmol) in DMF (2 ml) was added sodium azide (0.027 g, 0.414 mmol) to givea clear yellow solution. After stirring overnight at room temperature,the mixture was quenched with 1 mL of 0.1 N HCl and then diluted with 2mL of water. All the volatiles were removed using a rotary evaporatorand the aqueous solution was extracted twice with dichloromethane (3 mLeach). The combined organic phases were dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered, andconcentrated to give Ropinirole-N-azidoethylcarboxylate (0.12 g, 78%yield) as thick yellow oil. ¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL DMSO-d₆,δ): 0.93 (t, J=Hz, 6H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 1.70 (m, 4H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 2.99 (m,J=Hz, 4H, Pr₂NCH₂CH₂—Ar), 3.07 (m, 4H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 3.22 (m, 4H,Pr₂NCH₂CH₂—Ar), 3.92 (s, 2H, —CH₂C(═O)—), 3.98 (t, 2H, —OCH₂CH₂N₃), 4.48(t, 2H, —OCH₂CH₂Br), 7.14 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 1H, Ar H), 7.33 (t, J=8.0 Hz,1H, Ar H), 7.69 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 1H, Ar H).

H-[(N-Ropinirole)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K

Ropinirole-N-azidoethylcarboxylate hydrochloride (0.12 g, 0.293 mmol)was dissolved in THF (15 ml). H-[(Ptyn)₁₀(Ethyl)₂₀₀]-T-PA (0.488 g,0.024 mmol) was added and the mixture was stirred to form a solution.Cul (0.019 g, 0.098 mmol) and triethylamine (0.014 ml, 0.098 mmol) wereadded to give a clear red solution. After stirring for 16 hours at 45°C., the mixture was quenched with 2 mL of 0.1N HCl to give a solutionwith pH of 3. All the volatiles were removed and the residue wasdissolved in methanol. The resulting mixture was passed through a Dowexand Amberlite IR-120 column using methanol as an eluent. After removingmethanol, the resulting aqueous solution was extracted twice withdichloromethane (5 mL each). The organic solution was dried over Na₂SO₄,filtered, concentrated to 10 mL, and precipitated by adding into 70 mLof diethyl ether. The precipitate was filtered and dried in vacuo togive H-[(N-Ropinirole)₁₀(Ethyl)₂₀₀]-T-PA (0.50 g, 86% yield) as a paleyellow powder. In addition to the usual polymer backbone peaks, ¹H NMR(Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL DMSO-d₆, δ) shows the polymer chain containedan average of 6.4 units of rotigotine with major Ropinirole peaks at0.97 (m, 6H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 4.62 (m, 2H, —OCH₂CH₂Br and m, 2H,—OCH₂CH₂-triazole ring), 7.19-7.39 (br m, 3H, Ar H), and 7.91 (m, 1H,triazole H).

Example 10 Coupling of 4-Arm Propargyl PEG (10K) to rotigotine3-azidopropionate

Rotigotine 3-azidopropionate TFA (95.0 mg 0.18 mmol) was dissolved in 20mL of THF in a 50 mL one-neck round-bottom flask and 330 mg of 4-Armpropargyl PEG (Creative PEGWorks) (0.03 mmol, MW 11,000 Da) was addedinto the flask and the mixture was stirred to dissolve the polymer(brown mixture). Copper (I) iodide (9.3 mg, 0.048 mmol) and 6.63 μL oftriethylamine (4.8 mg, 0.048 mmol) were added to give a clear brownsolution. The solution was stirred at 45° C. under an argon blanket for17 h. The brown mixture was cooled to room temperature and filteredthrough a 0.2 μM PTFE filter. The filtrate was stirred with 6 mL of 0.1N HCl to give a brown mixture (pH 2.5 by pH paper). THF was removed byrotary evaporation at 28° C. The resulting cloudy aqueous solution waspassed through a column packed with Dowex (10 mL, M4195, Supelco,184426I) at the top and 20 g of Amberlite IR-120 (30 mL, Fluka,BCBF3074V) at the bottom, resulting in 200 mL of aqueous solution. Thesolution was saturated with 20 g of NaCl and extracted with 50 mL of DCMthree times. The organic layers were separated, combined, dried over 20g of Na₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated to 2 mL and precipitated by additionto 40 mL of diethylether in a 50 mL beaker. The polymer isolated byfiltration and dried under vacuum to give 310 mg of the final product in81% yield. The product had a rotigotine content of about 10% w/w.

¹H NMR (CDCl₃, δ, ppm, TMS): 1.03 (3H, —NCH₂CH₂CH₃); 1.8-3.6 (total of17H, aliphatic CH and CH₂ peaks of rotigotine; 2.56 (2H,—OCOCH₂CH₂-triazole); 3.41 (—C(CH₂O)₄); 3.64 (1000H, —OCH₂CH₂O—); 4.71(2H, —OCH₂-triazole); 4.76 (2H, —OCOCH₂CH₂-triazole); 6.88-7.21 (6H, —CHpeaks of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphtalene and —CH peaks of 2-thiophene);7.76 (1H, —CH peak of triazole).

Example 11 Coupling of 4-Arm Propargyl PEG (20K) to rotigotine3-azidopropionate

Rotigotine 3-azidopropionate TFA (126.2 mg, 0.24 mmol) was dissolved in40 ml of THF in a 50 one-neck round-bottom flask and 624 mg of 4-ArmPropargyl PEG (Creative PEGWorks, ZQ9216) (0.03 mmol, MW 20,800 Da) wasadded into the flask. The mixture was stirred to dissolve the polymercompletely (yellow solution). Copper (I) iodide (9.63 mg 0.048 mmol) and6.60 μL of triethylamine (4.8 mg, 0.048 mmol) were added to give a clearyellow solution. The resulting solution was stirred at 45° C. underargon for 40 h. The reaction was stopped after 40 h of stirring. Thesolution was filtered through a 045 μM PTFE filter. The filtrate wasstirred with 12 mL of 0.1 N HCl resulting in a brown mixture (pH 2.5 bypH paper). THF was removed using by rotary evaporation at 28° C. Theresulting cloudy aqueous solution was passed through a column packedwith Dowex (20 mL, M4195, Supelco, 184426I) at the top and 40 g ofAmberlite IR-120 (60 mL, Fluka, BCBF₃₀₇₄V) at the bottom resulting in400 mL of aqueous solution. The solution was saturated with 40 g of NaCland extracted with 50 mL of DCM three times. The organic layers wereseparated, combined, dried over 20 g of Na₂SO₄, filtered andconcentrated to 4 mL. The DCM solution was then precipitated into 80 mLof diethylether in a 100 mL beaker. The solvent was decanted and thepolymer was dried under high vacuum to give 582 mg of the final productin 86% yield. The product had a rotigotine content of about 5% w/w.

¹H NMR (CDCl₃, 6, ppm, TMS): 1.03 (3H, —NCH₂CH₂CH₃); 1.8-3.6 (total of17H, aliphatic CH and CH₂ peaks of rotigotine; 2.56 (2H,—OCOCH₂CH₂-triazole); 3.41 (2H, —C(CH₂O)₄); 3.64 (1000H, —OCH₂CH₂O—);4.69 (2H, —OCH₂-triazole); 4.74 (2H, —OCOCH₂CH₂-triazole); 6.88-7.21(6H, —CH peaks of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphtalene and —CH peaks of2-thiophene); 7.71 (1H, —CH peak of triazole).

Example 12 Synthesis of Polyethylene Glycol Dendrimer (26K)

The syntheses of PEG dendrimer was done in two steps. First the buildingof the PEG dendron blocks was completed and second the blocks werejoined to create the dendrimer structure.

i. Preparation of Dendron Building Block:

Et-G1-NHBoc.

L-lysine ethyl ester dihydrochloride (0.253 g, 1.025 mmol) andSCM-PEG-NHBoc 2K (4.71 g, 2.36 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane(170 ml). After addition of TEA (0.714 ml, 5.12 mmol), the mixture wasstirred overnight at room temperature. The reaction mixture was quenchedwith 51 mL of 0.1N HCl solution and stirred with of NaCl (5.1 g). Twolayers were separated and the aqueous phase was extracted withdichloromethane (50 mL). The combined organic phases were dried overNa₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated using a rotary evaporator, and dried invacuo to give crude product as a waxy solid. The crude material wasdissolved in water and passed through an Amberlite column and then anion-exchange column using both DEAE Sepharose FF and SP Sepharose FF.The resulting aqueous solution was charged with NaCl (15% w/v) andextracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases were driedover anhydrous Na₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated using a rotary evaporator,and dried in vacuo to provide Et-G1-NHBoc (3.4 g, 84% yield). ¹H NMR(Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the usual backbone peak at 3.64ppm (m, 4H, —(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 1.28 ppm (t, 3H,—OCH₂CH₃), 1.44 ppm (s, 18H, —NHBoc), 4.01 ppm (m, 4H two protons foreach PEG, —NHC(═O)CH₂—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—), 4.32 ppm (q, 2H, —OCH₂CH₃), 4.59ppm (q, 1H, —CH(CO₂Et)NH—).

CO₂H-G1-NHBoc

Et-G1-NHBoc (0.975 g, 0.247 mmol) was dissolved in water (6.2 ml) andstirred overnight with 0.1 N NaOH (5 ml, 0.5 mmol). The mixture wasacidified by adding 0.5 mL of 1N HCl, charged with 1.8 g of NaCl (15%w/v), and then stirred with 10 mL of DCM. The two layers were separatedand the aqueous phase was extracted with 8 mL of DCM. The combinedorganic phases were dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated, and driedin vacuo to give CO₂H-G1-NHBoc (0.928 g, 96% yield) as a pale yellowwaxy powder. The completion of the hydrolysis was confirmed by ¹H NMR(Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) revealed the disappearance of esterproton peaks, shown at 1.28 and 4.32 ppm (—OCH₂CH₃)

Et-G1-NH₂.2TFA

Et-G1-NHBoc (2.42 g, 0.613 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (15.33ml) and stirred with TFA (2.36 ml, 30.7 mmol) for 1 hour at roomtemperature. Most of the volatiles were removed using a rotaryevaporator to give ˜4.5 g of thick red extract. The crude product wasstirred with 30 mL of diethyl ether to give a sticky powder and aslightly cloudy suspension. After decanting the liquid, the residue wasstirred with 30 mL of diethyl ether. After decanting the solution, thepale white powder (waxy) was dried overnight in vacuo. The crude productwas dissolved in 25 mL of dichloromethane and then washed with brine (20mL), dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated using a rotaryevaporator, and dried in vacuo to give Et-G1-NH₂.2TFA (2.10 g, 86%yield). The completion of the deprotection was confirmed by thedisappearance of -Boc group proton peak, shown at 1.44 ppm (s, 18H,—NHBoc).

CO₂H-G1-Ethynyl

HOBT (0.209 g, 1.362 mmol) was dried by azeotropic distillation usingacetonitrile. To the residue was added a solution of 4-pentynoic acid(0.125 g, 1.277 mmol) in dichloromethane (20 ml). DCC (0.264 g, 1.277mmol) was added and the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes to give acloudy solution. A solution of Et-G1-NH₂.2TFA (1.69 g, 0.426 mmol) withTEA (0.356 ml, 2.55 mmol) in dichloromethane (20 ml) was added. Afterstirring for 18 hours, the reaction mixture was filtered using a syringefilter and quenched with 0.1N HCl. All the organic volatiles wereremoved using a rotary evaporator and passed through an Amberlite columnand then an ion-exchange column using DEAE Sepharose FF. The resultingaqueous solution was charged with NaCl (15% w/v) and extracted withdichloromethane. The organic phase was dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄,filtered, concentrated using a rotary evaporator, and dried in vacuo toprovide Et-G1-Ethynyl.

Hydrolysis of Et-G1-Ethynyl

The ethyl ester product was dissolved in water and the pH of thesolution was adjusted to 13 using 0.5 N NaOH. After stirring overnight,the mixture was acidified to pH 3 and purified on an Amberlite columnand an ion-exchange column using DEAE Sepharose FF to give 1.14 g (69%yield) of CO₂H-G1-Ethynyl as the desired product. ¹H NMR (Varian, 500MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the usual backbone peak at 3.64 ppm (m, 4H,—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 2.03 (m, 2H, —CH₂CH₂CCH), 2.42(t, 4H, —CH₂CH₂CCH), 2.53 (t, 4H, —CH₂CH₂CCH), 3.98-4.16 ppm (m, 4H twoprotons for each PEG, —NHC(═O)CH₂—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—), 4.62 ppm (q, 1H,—CH(CO₂Et)NH—).

ii. Construction of Dendrimer via a Convergent Pathway

Et-G2-NHBoc

HOBT (0.035 g, 0.227 mmol) was dried by azeotropic distillation usingacetonitrile (20 mL). To the residue was added a solution ofCO₂H-G1-NHBoc (0.890 g, 0.227 mmol) in dichloromethane (15 ml). DCC(0.047 g, 0.227 mmol) was added and the mixture was stirred for 3 hours.After addition of Et-G1-NH₂.2TFA (0.410 g, 0.103 mmol) and TEA (0.086ml, 0.620 mmol), the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at roomtemperature. The mixture was filtered using a syringe filter andquenched with 0.1N HCl. All the organic volatiles were removed using arotary evaporator. The resulting aqueous solution was passed through anAmberlite column and then an ion-exchange column using both DEAESepharose FF and SP Sepharose FF. The resulting aqueous solution wascharged with NaCl (15% w/v) and extracted with dichloromethane. Thecombined organic phases were dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄, filtered,concentrated using a rotary evaporator, and dried in vacuo to provideEt-G2-NHBoc (0.879 g, 74% yield). Ion-exchange analysis on both DEAE andSP column revealed all neutral species. ¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the usual backbone peak at 3.64 ppm (m, 4H,—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 1.28 ppm (m, 3H, —OCH₂CH₃),1.44 ppm (s, 36H, —NHBoc), 3.98-4.04 ppm (m, 12H two protons for eachPEG, —NHC(═O)CH₂—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—), 4.19 ppm (m, 2H, —OCH₂CH₃), 4.59 ppm(q, 1H, —CH(CO₂Et)NH—).

Et-G2-NH₂.4HCl

Et-G2-NHBoc (0.877 g, 0.076 mmol) was stirred with 20 mL of methanolicHCl (5 ml, 15.20 mmol) for 1 hour at room temperature. All the volatileswere removed under vacuum. The residue was dissolved in 30 mL ofdichloromethane and washed with 25 mL of brine solution. The organicsolution was dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated, and dried invacuo to give Et-G2-NH₂.HCl (0.883 g, quantitative yield). ¹H NMR(Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the usual backbone peak at 3.64ppm (m, 4H, —(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 1.28 ppm (m, 3H,—OCH₂CH₃), 3.94-4.04 ppm (m, 12H two protons for each PEG,—NHC(═O)CH₂—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—), 4.17 ppm (m, 2H, —OCH₂CH₃). The completionof deprotection was confirmed by disappearance of t-Boc proton peak at1.44 ppm (s, 36H, —NHBoc).

Et-G3-Ethynyl

HOBT (0.051 g, 0.332 mmol) was dried by azeotropic distillation using 30mL of acetonitrile. To the residue was added a solution ofCO₂H-G1-Ethynyl (1.133 g, 0.292 mmol) in dichloromethane (33 ml). DCC(0.060 g, 0.292 mmol) was added and the mixture was stirred for 2 hoursat room temperature to give a cloudy solution. After addition ofEt-G2-NH2HCl (0.75 g, 0.066 mmol) and TEA (0.074 ml, 0.532 mmol), themixture was stirred for 16 hours at room temperature. The mixture wasquenched with 6 mL of 0.1 N HCl. All the organic volatiles were removedusing a rotary evaporator and the remaining aqueous solution was dilutedwith 15 mL of water. The resulting aqueous solution was passed throughan Amberlite column and then an ion-exchange column using both DEAESepharose FF and SP Sepharose FF to remove excess acid dendron speciesand amino species resulting from incomplete reaction. The resultingaqueous solution was charged with NaCl (15% w/v) and extracted withdichloromethane. The combined organic phases were dried over anhydrousNa₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated using a rotary evaporator, and dried invacuo to provide pale yellow solids. Further purification was performedby stirring with 30 mL of diethyl ether for 30 minutes, filtering on aglass frit, and drying to give Et-G3-Ethynyl (1.221 g, 69% yield) aspale yellow crystalline material. Ion-exchange analysis on both DEAE andSP column revealed all neutral species. ¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the usual backbone peak at 3.64 ppm (m, 4H,—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 1.28 ppm (m, 3H, —OCH₂CH₃),2.03 (m, 2H, —CH₂CH₂CCH), 2.43 (t, 16H, —CH₂CH₂CCH), 2.53 (t, 16H,—CH₂CH₂CCH), 3.98-4.03 ppm (m, 28H two protons for each PEG,—NHC(═O)CH₂—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—), 4.17 ppm (m, 2H, —OCH₂CH₃), 4.40 ppm (q,6H, —CH(CO—)NH—). 4.62 ppm (q, 1H, —CH(CO₂Et)-NH—).

Example 13 PEG Et-G3-Ethynyl Dendrimer 26K attached to rotigotine3-azidopropionate

Rotigotine 3-azido propionate (0.192 g, 0.365 mmol) and Et-G3-Ethynyl(1.077 g, 0.041 mmol) were dissolved in THF (27.0 ml). Triethylamine(0.090 ml, 0.648 mmol) and CuI (0.123 g, 0.648 mmol) were added and themixture was stirred for 40 hours at 50° C. After cooling to roomtemperature, the mixture was stirred with 12 mL of 0.1N HCl solution.After removing THF using a rotary evaporator, the resulting aqueoussolution was diluted with 10 mL of water and passed through an Amberlite(IR-120H) column (50 mL) and a Dowex® M4195 column (50 mL) using 0.01%HCl solution as an eluent. The collected aqueous solution was stirredwith 70 mL of dichloromethane using 22 g of NaCl (15 w/v % aqueous). Twolayers were separated and the aqueous phase was stirred with 70 mLdichloromethane. The combined organic phases were dried over Na₂SO₄,filtered, concentrated, precipitated by adding into diethyl ether,filtered, and dried in vacuo. The resulting waxy solid was stirred withdiethyl ether (20 mL) for 1 hour, filtered, and dried to give 0.997 g(82% yield) of the desired product, Et-G3-Rotig HCl, as pale yellowpowder. The product had a rotigotine content of about 5% w/w. ¹H NMR(Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the usual PEG peak at 3.64 ppm(m, 4H, —(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 1.28 ppm (m, 3H,—OCH₂CH₃), 3.97-4.03 ppm (m, 28H two protons for each PEG,—NHC(═O)CH₂—(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—), 4.17 ppm (m, 2H, —OCH₂CH₃), 4.41 ppm (q,6H, —CH(CO)NH—), and 4.62 ppm (q, 1H, —CH(CO₂Et)NH—). Rotigotine peakswere revealed at 1.04 ppm (t, 3H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 4.73 ppm (m, 2H,triazole-CH₂CH₂C(═O)O-Rotigotine), 6.89-7.20 ppm (m, 6H, aromatic andthiophenyl H), 7.70 (br s, 1H, triazole H). The number of rotigotinemolecules on the dendrimer was determined as 5.6 by both ¹H NMR andreverse phase HPLC analysis. ‘Click’ reaction was monitored by thedisappearance of the terminal peaks at 2.03 (m, 2H, —CH₂CH₂CCH) and 2.43(t, 16H, —CH₂CH₂CCH), and by the appearance of a triazole proton peak at7.70 ppm.

Example 14 Preparation of 4-Arm PEG rotigotine glycine ester (10K)

Glycine-Rotigotine synthesis:

Rotigotine HCl (1.2 g, 3.41 mmol) and Boc-Glycine-OH (1.195 g, 6.82mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (150 ml) to give a suspension.After addition of DMAP (0.625 g, 5.11 mmol) and DCC (1.407 g, 6.82mmol), the mixture was stirred for 16 hours at room temperature. Themixture was filtered using filter paper and the filtrate was quenchedwith 51 mL of 0.1 N HCl (5.11 mmol). The layers were separated and theaqueous phase was extracted with 7 mL of dichloromethane. The combinedorganic phases were washed with water and then with brine, dried overNa₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated using a rotary evaporator, and dried invacuo to give a crude pale yellow solid. The crude material was stirredwith diethyl ether (50 mL) for 30 minutes, filtered on a glass frit,washed with diethyl ether, and dried in vacuo to give a pale yellowpowder Boc-Gly-Rotigotine.HCl (1.258 g, 75% yield).

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 1.04 ppm (t,3H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 1.47 ppm (s, 9H, —NHBoc), 1.96 ppm (m, 2H), 2.06 ppm(m, 1H), 2.60 ppm (m, 2H), 2.93 ppm (m, 1H), 3.04 ppm (m, 1H), 3.13 ppm(m, 1H), 3.26 ppm (m, 2H), 3.40 ppm (m, 2H), 3.52 ppm (m, 1H), 3.66 ppm(m, 2H), 4.17 ppm (d, 2H, —NHCH₂C(═O)—), 5.08 ppm (s, 1H, —C(═O)NHCH₂—),6.95 ppm (m, 3H, aromatic), 7.06 ppm (t, 1H, thiophenyl), and 7.20 ppm(m, 2H, thiophenyl).

The Boc-Gly-Rotigotine HCl was deprotected by first dissolving theproduct (1.258 g, 2.55 mmol) in dichloromethane (64 ml). After additionof trifluoroacetic acid (9.83 ml, 128 mmol), the reaction mixture wasstirred for 1 hour at room temperature and then all the volatiles wereremoved using a rotary evaporator. The residue (dark yellow) wasdissolved in methanol and precipitated by adding into diethyl ether (40mL). The pale yellow precipitate was filtered using a glass frit anddried to give Gly-Rotigotine.2TFA (1.140 g, 79% yield).

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed peaks at 0.98 ppm (d,3H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 1.72 ppm (m, 1H), 1.83 ppm (m, 2H), 2.33 ppm (m, 1H),2.51 ppm (m, 2H), 2.80 ppm (m, 1H), 3.00 ppm (m, 2H), 3.12 ppm (m, 2H),3.30 ppm (m, 3H), 3.73 ppm (m, 1H), 4.03 ppm (q, 2H, NH₂CH₂C(═O)O—),6.80 ppm (d, 1H, aromatic), 6.92 ppm (m, 2H, aromatic), 6.99 ppm (d, 1H,thiophenyl), 7.08 ppm (t, 1H, thiophenyl), and 7.17 ppm (d, 1H,thiophenyl).

4-Arm PEG-SCM 10K (2.02 g, 0.165 mmol) and Gly-Rotigotine.2TFA (0.373 g,0.658 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (16.5 ml). TEA (0.229 ml,1.645 mmol) was added to give a yellow clear solution. After stirringfor 16 hours at room temperature, the mixture was quenched with 16 mL of0.1N HCl solution and charged with 1.6 g of NaCl (10 w/v % for water).Two layers were separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with 16 mLof dichloromethane. The combined organic phases were dried over Na₂SO₄,filtered, and concentrated. The crude extract was dissolved in 40 mL ofwater and passed through an Amberlite (IR120H) column to remove smallmolecules. The collected aqueous solution was stirred with 50 mL ofdichloromethane and charged with 10.5 g of NaCl (15 w/v % of water). Twolayers were separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with anadditional 50 mL of dichloromethane. The combined organic phases weredried over Na₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated, and dried in vacuo to givethe desired product 4-arm PEG-Gly-Rotigotine.HCl 10K (1.89 g, 85%yield). The product had a rotigotine content of about 6% w/w.

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the polymer backbonepeaks at 3.64 ppm (m, 4H, —(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 1.04ppm (d, 3H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 6.96 ppm (m, 3H, aromatic), 7.05 ppm (t, 1H,thiophenyl), 7.20 ppm (m, 2H, thiophenyl), and 7.80 ppm (m, 1H,triazole). The average number of rotigotine molecules on each polymerwas determined to be 3.1 by ¹H NMR analysis.

Example 15 Preparation of 4-Arm PEG rotigotine glycine ester (20K)

The glycine-rotigotine.2TFA salt was prepared as described in example14. The 4-arm PEG-SCM 20K (2.007 g, 0.098 mmol) and Gly-Rotigotine.2TFA(0.222 g, 0.393 mmol) were dissolved in dichloromethane (9.8 ml). TEA(0.137 ml, 0.981 mmol) was added to give a yellow clear solution. Afterstirring for 16 hours at room temperature, the mixture was quenched with9.8 mL of 0.1N HCl solution and charged with 1.0 g of NaCl (10 w/v % forwater). The layers were separated and the aqueous phase was extractedwith 10 mL of dichloromethane. The combined organic phases were driedover Na₂SO₄, filtered, and concentrated. The crude extract was dissolvedin 40 mL of water and passed through Amberlite (IR120H) column to removeall the small molecules. The collected aqueous solution was stirred with50 mL of dichloromethane and charged with 10.5 g of NaCl (15 w/v % ofwater). The layers were separated and the aqueous phase was extractedwith 40 mL of dichloromethane. The combined organic phases were driedover Na₂SO₄, filtered, concentrated, and dried in vacuo to give thedesired product 4-arm PEG-Gly-Rotigotine.HCl 20K (1.58 g, 74% yield).The product had a rotigotine content of about 3% w/w.

¹H NMR (Varian, 500 MHz, 10 mg/mL CDCl₃) showed the polymer backbonepeaks at 3.64 ppm (m, 4H, —(OCH₂CH₂)_(n)—) and other major peaks at 1.03ppm (d, 3H, —CH₂CH₂CH₃), 6.95 ppm (m, 3H, aromatic), 7.06 ppm (t, 1H,thiophenyl), 7.20 ppm (m, 2H, thiophenyl), and 7.81 ppm (m, 1H,triazole). The average number of rotigotine molecules on each polymerwas determined to be 2.53 by ¹H NMR analysis.

Example 16 Synthesis of Oxidized Dextran (20K)

Polyal (Oxidized Dextran) Synthesis:

(See M. I. Papisov, U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,510). Sodium periodate (5.58 g,26 mmol) was dissolved in 30 mL of DI-H₂O in a 100 mL one-neckround-bottom flask. The flask was covered with aluminum foil. In a 20 mLvial, 2.0 g of dextran (0.13 mmol, M_(n): 15,340 g/mole, M_(p): 22,630g/mole, PD: 2.11) was dissolved in 15 mL of DI-H₂O and this solution wasslowly added to the round-bottom flask. The vial was rinsed with 15 mLof DI-H₂O and the rinse solution was also added into the round-bottomedflask. The clear colorless solution was stirred at room temperature for24 h. At the end of this time, the aqueous solution was transferred intotwo Slide-A-Lyzer 2K dialysis cassettes and dialysis was conducted inwater overnight. This aqueous solution (−60 mL) was used in the nextstep.

Polyalcohol Synthesis from Polyal:

1.134 g of sodium borohydride (30 mmol) was dissolved in 10 mL of DI-H₂Oin a 100 mL one-neck round-bottomed flask. The aqueous solution from theprevious step was then added slowly into the round-bottom flask. Thesolution was stirred for 18 h. The pH of the solution was adjusted to 6using 3M HCl and the solution was again dialyzed using three 10K MWCOdialysis cassettes for two days. The aqueous solution was concentratedto 5 mL and then lyophilized for two days to give 1.56 g of thepolyalcohol in 94% yield.

¹H NMR (DMSO-d6, δ, ppm, TMS): 3.35 (2H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.48 (2H,—OCH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.58-3.70 (2H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.64 (1H,—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 4.62 (2H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)OCH(CH₂OH)O—), 4.70 (1H,—OCH(CH₂OH)O—).

¹³C NMR (DMSO-d6, δ, ppm, TMS): 64.56 (—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 65.10(—OCH(CH₂OH)O—), 68.96 (—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 79.88 (—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—),105.86 (—OCH(CH₂OH)O—).

GFC: M_(n): 11,100 g/mole, M_(p): 19,270 g/mole, PD: 2.41

Polyalcohol Propargyl Bromide Reaction:

Polyalcohol (840.0 mg, 5×10⁻⁵ mole, M_(n): 11,100 g/mole, M_(p): 19,270,PD: 2.4) was dissolved in 10 mL of dimethylformamide in a 25 mLround-bottom flask. Toluene (5 mL) was then added into the round-bottomflask. Toluene was evaporated at 50° C. and 40 mbar using a rotaryevaporator. 407.5 mg of cesium carbonate (1.25×10⁻³ mole) was then addedinto the round-bottom flask. The mixture was stirred for 3 h under argonat 60° C. 234.0 mg of propargyl bromide solution (80% solution intoluene, 187.5 mg of propargyl bromide, 1.25×10⁻³ mole) was added intothe round-bottom flask. The cloudy solution was stirred at 60° C. for 34h under argon. At the end of this time, the yellow cloudy solution wascooled to room temperature, filtered through a 30 mL frit, and thefiltrate was concentrated to dryness. The polymer was dissolved in 15 mLof DI-H₂O and washed with dichloromethane twice (2×45 mL). Thedichloromethane phase was washed with 15 mL of DI-H₂O. Aqueous phaseswere separated, combined and evaporated to remove any residualdichloromethane. The aqueous solution was then dialyzed using a 2K MWCOdialysis cassette overnight. The water was removed and the polymer wasdried under high vacuum to give 730.0 mg of the final product.

¹H NMR (DMSO-d6, δ, ppm, TMS): 3.35 (2H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.48 (2H,—OCH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.58-3.70 (2H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.64 (1H,—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 4.18 (4H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OCH₂C≡CH)OCH(CH₂OCH₂C≡CH)O—),4.62 (2H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)OCH(CH₂OH)O—), 4.70 (1H, —OCH(CH₂OH)O—). FromNMR data, the average value of ‘n’ is 78 and of ‘m’ is 5

Example 17 Oxidized Dextran (20K) attachment to 3-azidopropyl rotigotine

Three hundred and forty two milligrams (342.0 mg) of 3-azidopropionylrotigotine.TFA (6.5×10⁻⁴ mole) was weighed in a 100 mL round-bottomflask and 835.0 mg of oxidized dextran with acetylene pendents (6.5×10⁻⁵mole; average ‘n’ value of 89, ‘m’ value of 6) and was added into theflask. Eighty milliliters (80 mL) of dimethylformamide was then addedinto the flask to completely dissolve the polymer. 64.5 mg of coppersulfate (2.6×10⁻⁴ mole) and 103.0 mg of sodium ascorbate (5.2×10⁻⁴ mole)were then added to the round-bottom flask. The round-bottom flask wasclosed with a rubber septum and the solution was stirred at 40° C. underargon overnight. More copper sulfate (258.0 mg, 1.04×10⁻³ mole) andsodium ascorbate (412.0 mg, 2.08×10⁻³ mole) were added and the solutionwas stirred overnight at 40° C. More copper sulfate (322.5 mg, 1.3×10⁻³mole) and sodium ascorbate (515.0 mg, 2.6×10⁻³ mole) were added and thesolution was stirred overnight at 40° C. At the end of this time, thesolution was cooled to room temperature, filtered through a coarse frit,and the solvent removed by rotary evaporation. The residue was dissolvedin 60 mL of DMF, filtered, concentrated to 10 mL and precipitated intodiethyl ether (200 mL). The solvents were decanted and the polymer wasdried under vacuum overnight to give 362.0 mg of the final product. Theproduct had a rotigotine content of about 5% w/w.

¹H NMR (DMSO-d6, δ, ppm, TMS): 0.86 (3H, —NCH₂CH₂CH₃); 1.4-3.6 (total of17H, aliphatic CH and CH₂ peaks of rotigotine); 3.36 (2H,—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.47 (2H, —OCH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.57-3.70 (2H,—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O—), 3.64 (1H, —OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)O, 4.62 (2H,—OCH₂CH(CH₂OH)OCH(CH₂OH)O—), 4.70 (1H, —OCH(CH₂OH)O—); 6.80-7.29 (6H,—CH peaks of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphtalene and —CH peaks of 2-thiophene);8.14 (1H, —CH peak of triazole).

Example 18 Hydrolysis of Rotigotine from Polymer Conjugates

The hydrolysis of rotigotine from the three types of linkers on thepoly(oxazoline)-rotigotine conjugates was examined in rat plasma. Fourmilliliters of rat plasma was placed in a test tube, and then spikedwith approximately 16 mg of each poly(oxazoline) drug conjugatedissolved in 400 μL of 5% dextrose solution. The test tubes were placedin a 37° C. water bath and allowed to incubate for approximately 48hours. At regular time intervals, a 100 μL aliquot of plasma was takenand placed in a 1.5 mL centrifuge tube, neutralized with 5 μL of diluteacid solution (3M HCl or 30% TFA), and treated with ˜500 μL ofacetonitrile to precipitate the plasma proteins and dissolve therotigotine. The tube was centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 5 minutes. Thesupernatant was removed, filtered, placed in an HPLC vial, and assayedby reverse phase chromatography using a Zorbax C8 300SB, 5μ, 4.6×150 mmcolumn fixed to an Agilent 1100 chromatogarphy system fitted with avariable UV detector set at 228 nm. The mobile phase was 0.1% TFA inwater (A) and 0.1% TFA in acetonitrile (B) eluting a rate of 1 mL/min. Astandard curve was created by spiking a known concentration of drug inplasma and extracting and assaying the free drug as described above. Theamount of drug in each aliquot was calculated from the standard curveabove and a plot of the concentration of drug released versus time wasgenerated. The half-life of each poly(oxazoline)-rotigotine conjugatewas calculated and shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows that changes in thelinking group, as well as the nature of the polymer (POZ vs. PEG vs.modified dextran), affect the hydrolytic release of rotigotine from thepolymer conjugate. As can be seen in Table 1, Only POZ polymers providedextended half-life of the agent. PEG and dextran polymers were noteffective. As a result, POZ polymers can be “tuned” to release the agentwith a desired release profile without an initial burst effect. Ofparticular note, polymers that release rotigotine fast (under 15minutes) would not be expected to work for the treatment of dopaminedeficiency disorders by a daily or weekly subcutaneous injection.

TABLE 1 Effect of linker and polymer on rate of hydrolysis release ofrotigotine from rotigotine esters (polymer-triazine-alkyl-CO-O-Rotigotine) in plasma, pH 7.4, 37° C. Polymer* Alkyl LinkerHalf-Life POZ* —CH₂— 2.4 ± 0.28 hours (2 batches) POZ* —CH₂(CH₃)— 7.1hours POZ* —CH₂CH₂— 11.9 ± 4.2 hours (6 batches) POZ* —CH₂CH₂CH₂— 5.0hours PEG 4-arm^($) —CH₂CH₂— 8 minutes PEG Dendrimer^(@) —CH₂CH₂— 11minutes PEG 4-arm^(!) See specification <5 minutes Modified —CH₂CH₂— <2minutes Dextran^(#) *POZ is MW 20,000, acid terminus, 10 triazinependents. ^($)PEG see examples 10 and 11 for structure ^(@)see examples12 and 13 for structure ^(!)see examples 14 and 15 for structure ^(#)seeexamples 16 and 17 for structure

Example 19 Pharmacokinetics of rotigotine in rat after intravenous andsubcutaneous administration of H-[(Acetyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH20K and H-[(Propionyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K

To study the pharmacokinetics of the POZ conjugates described herein, invivo studies were conducted with male Sprague-Dawley rats. Twenty-sevenmale cannulated Sprague-Dawley rats (300-350 g) were divided into ninegroups of 3 animals per group. Groups I-II received a singlesubcutaneous (SC) dose (right flank) of POZ acetyl rotigotine (asdescribed in Example 6) at equivalent doses of 1.6 and 6.4 mg/kg. GroupsIII-IV received a single subcutaneous (SC) dose (right flank) of POZpropyl rotigotine (as described in Example 7) at equivalent doses of 1.6and 6.4 mg/kg. Group V received a single subcutaneous (SC) dose (rightflank) of rotigotine hydrochloride at an equivalent dose of 0.5 mg/kg.Groups VI-VII received a single intravenous (IV) dose (lateral tailvein) of POZ acetyl rotigotine (as described in Example 6) at equivalentdoses of 0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg. Groups VIII-IX received a single intravenous(IV) dose (lateral tail vein) of POZ propyl rotigotine (as described inExample 7) at equivalent doses of 0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg. The test articleswere dissolved in 5% dextrose injection and filtered prior to eachinjection. Serial blood samples were obtained from each intravenouslydosed animal through the cannulated catheter, at time intervals of endof injection, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 168 hours. The time intervals for thesubcutaneously dosed animals were 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and 168 hours. Theblood was processed to collect the plasma which was stored at −70° C.before analysis. The plasma samples were extracted with acetonitrileusing d3-rotigotine as an internal standard and the analytes in theextract were assayed by chromatographic analysis on LC/MS-MS systemusing a C-18 reverse phase column with 0.9 um silica coreshell(Accucore™, Thermo Scientific, 30×2.1 mm ID and 2.6 micron particlesize). The mobile phase was ammonium formate 10 mM pH3.0 (solvent A);and 90% acetonitrile, 10% methanol, and 0.1% formic acid (solvent B),eluting at 0.6 mL/min.

The plasma concentration of rotigotine (ng/mL) after intravenous andsubcutaneous injection is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. Theseresults show that POZ conjugates of rotigotine, whether dosedintravenously or subcutaneously, will reduce the clearance rate ofrotigotine from the blood when compared to the parent molecule alone.The terminal plasma half-life (t½) for rotigotine, POZ acetyl rotigotineand POZ propyl rotigotine was 2.8, 16 and 60 h, respectively. However,there is a striking difference in the PK profiles of the POZ-conjugatesPOZ acetyl rotigotine and POZ propyl rotigotine when compared IV vs SC.POZ-conjugates delivered IV are generally cleared in a bi-phasic patternwith little difference between POZ acetyl rotigotine and POZ propylrotigotine. However, when the two are compared following SCadministration there is a marked difference. POZ acetyl rotigotine hasessentially the same PK profile when delivered either SC or IV. POZpropyl rotigotine has a markedly prolonged PK profile that is near “zeroorder” kinetics. The size and length of the linker plays a role in therelease of the agent, in this case rotigotine. The levels of rotigotinereleased from the polymer conjugate and measured in rat plasma from day1 to day 7 are higher for the propyl linker than the acetyl linker. Theinitial plasma concentration of rotigotine during the first 12 hours islower for POZ propyl rotigotine when compared to the POZ acetylrotigotine compound. At 12 hours, the C_(max) values of plasmarotigotine were 6 ng/mL for POZ propyl rotigotine versus for 48 ng/mLfor the POZ acetyl rotigotine when dosed SC at the dose of 1.6 mg/kg.This shows that controlled delivery of an agent can be “tuned” torelease the agent with a desired release profile without an initialburst effect based on the nature of the hydrolyzable linker, the size ofthe POZ polymer, the route of administration (e.g. subcutaneous) or acombination of the foregoing.

Example 20 Pharmacokinetics of rotigotine in monkey after subcutaneousadministration of H-[(α-Methyl-Acetyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20Kand H-[(Propionyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K

The pharmacokinetics of the POZ conjugates of rotigotine was measured innormal, treatment-naïve female macaques. Animals were randomly assignedinto four treatment groups, each N=3. Animals received one subcutaneousdose of either POZ alpha methyl acetyl rotigotine (as described inExample 8) or POZ propyl rotigotine (as described in Example 7) at dosesof either 1.5 mg/kg or 4.5 mg/kg (based on rotigotine equivalents). Thetest articles were dissolved in 5% dextrose injection and filtered priorto each injection. Serial venous blood samples were obtained from eachanimal prior to administration of experimental agents on Day 1 andsubsequently at 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 24 h, 48 h, 96h, 192 h, 240 h and 336 h. The blood was processed to collect the plasmawhich was stored at −70° C. before analysis. These plasma samples wereprocessed and assayed by chromatographic analysis on LC/MS-MS system asdescribed in Example 11.

The plasma concentration of rotigotine (ng/mL) after subcutaneousinjection is shown in FIG. 4. These results show that POZ conjugates ofrotigotine reduce the clearance rate of rotigotine from the blood. Theaverage terminal plasma half-life (t½) of rotigotine from POZ alphamethyl acetyl rotigotine and POZ propionyl rotigotine was 9 and 60 h,respectively. Once again, the POZ propyl rotigotine has a markedlyprolonged PK profile that is near “zero order” kinetics. The initialplasma concentrations of rotigotine during the first 12 hours are lowerfor POZ propyl rotigotine when compared to the POZ alpha methyl acetylrotigotine compound. From 4 to 192 hours, the average C_(ss) value ofplasma rotigotine was between 1 and 6 ng/mL for POZ propyl rotigotine atthe 1.5 mg/kg dose.

Example 21 Efficacy of H-[(Acetyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K andH-[(Propionyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K in the 6-OHDA rat modelfollowing subcutaneous administration

To study the efficacy of the POZ conjugates described herein, in vivostudies were conducted with female Sprague-Dawley rats. FemaleSprague-Dawley rats (275-350 g) were used in the study. Each animalunderwent stereotaxic surgery and received a unilateral lesion of theright nigrostriatal pathway via injection of 12.5 μg of6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into a single site in the medial forebrainbundle. Rats were monitored over two weeks and underwent behavioralassessment (on day −7) via the cylinder test. Animals lacking overtbehavioral asymmetry (>85% ipsilateral forelimb use) were excluded fromthe study. The rats were them randomly assigned to one of six treatmentgroups (each N=8). The groups were as follows: vehicle control (GroupA); rotigotine hydrochloride 0.5 mg/kg (Group B); rotigotinehydrochloride 3 mg/kg (Group C); H-[(Acetyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH20K (as described in Example 6) 1.6 mg/kg (Group D);H-[(Propionyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH 20K (as described in Example7) 1.6 mg/kg (Group E); and H-[(Propionyl-Rotigotine)₁₀(EOZ)₁₉₀]-COOH20K (as described in Example 7) 6.4 mg/kg (Group F). The rats received asingle subcutaneous dose (2 mL/kg) of vehicle (5% dextrose) or testcompound dissolved in 5% dextrose.

Each group of animals (A-F) were independently assessed rat forrotational behavior and forelimb symmetry on day 1, day 2, day 5 and day9. In the rotational test, the animals were placed in an automatedrotometer apparatus (MedAssociates, USA) and the net number of rotationscontraversive to the lesion were recorded over a period of 6 hours oneach day. In the forelimb symmetry test, the rats are placed in a clearglass cylinder without top (15 cm diameter×45 cm tall). The number oftimes each paw touches the side of the cylinder during an individualrear is recorded over a 10 minute observation on each day. The firstlimb in any rear to touch the wall is scored a single point. If bothlimbs contact within 0.4 s of each other, then this is scored as a‘both’. All subsequent exploratory movements about the wall using thatlimb are scored independently until the other limb contacts the wallwith weight support. Alternating stepping motions involving both pawsone after the other receive a single score for both. The net number ofcontralateral touches are calculated and considered a favorableresponse.

Table 2 summarizes the results of the rotational test:

TABLE 2 Net number of contraversive turns/6 h period Dose (Average ±SEM; n = 8) Compound (mg/kg) Day 1 Day 5 Vehicle 0 −56 ± 20   −25 ± 11  Rotigotine 0.5 983 ± 405 −49 ± 9    Rotigotine 3.0 1570 ± 312* −39 ±15   POZ Acetyl Rotigotine 20K 1.6 872 ± 232 −14 ± 14   POZ PropionylRotigotine 20K 1.6 1408 ± 286* 68 ± 60 POZ Propionyl Rotigotine 20K 6.41272 ± 405*  5142 ± 777** */**represents P < 0.01 or P < 0.001 cf.vehicle (1-way ANOVA with Dunnett's post-hoc test).

All treatments show positive rotational behaviors (contraversive turns)on day 1 of dosing. Only POZ propyl rotigotine shows activity on day 5,with marked and continuous contraversive rotations at the high dose of6.4 mg/kg. This favorable response is due to the high and sustainedrotigotine drug levels in blood on day 5, which was observed in thepreceding pharmacokinetic study.

Table 3 summarizes the results of the forelimb asymmetry test:

TABLE 3 Net ipsiversive forelimb use as a percentage of total forelimbuse Dose (Average ± SEM; n = 8) Compound (mg/kg) Day 2 Day 5 Vehicle 088 ± 7% 85 ± 6% Rotigotine 0.5  60 ± 13% 94 ± 6% Rotigotine 3.0   9 ±13%* 85 ± 8% POZ alpha methyl acetyl 1.6  50 ± 13%  85 ± 10% Rotigotine20K POZ Propyl Rotigotine 20K 1.6   0 ± 14%**  31 ± 13%* POZ PropylRotigotine 20K 6.4    −2 ± 26%**    −6 ± 16%** */**represents P < 0.01or P < 0.001 cf. vehicle (1-way ANOVA with Dunnett's post-hoc test).All treatments show positive ipsiversive forelimb use on day 1 ofdosing. Only POZ propyl rotigotine shows activity on day 5, with markedand continuous ipsiversive forelimb use at the both doses of 1.6 and 6.4mg/kg. This favorable response is due to the high and sustainedrotigotine drug levels in blood on day 5, which was observed in thepharmacokinetic study.

1. A polymer conjugate of the general formula (I),

wherein, a is ran which indicates a random copolymer or block whichindicates a block copolymer o is an integer from 1 to 50; m is aninteger from 190 to 950; p is 1-18; R is hydrogen, alkyl or substitutedalkyl; and Ag is a dopamine agonist selected from the group consistingof: rotigotine, pramipexole, quinagolide, fenoldopam, apomorphine,5-OH-DPAT, ropinirole, pergolide, cabergoline, and bromocriptine.
 2. Thepolymer conjugate of claim 1, wherein the dopamine agonist is rotigotineor (−)rotigotine.
 3. The polymer conjugate of claim 1, wherein thepoly(oxazoline) polymer has a molecular weight range of 300 Da to200,000 Da.
 4. The polymer conjugate of claim 1, wherein R is hydrogen.5. The polymer conjugate of claim 1, wherein R is alkyl.
 6. The polymerconjugate of claim 1 wherein the polymer conjugate has structure:


7. The polymer conjugate of claim 1, wherein the dopamine agonist isropinirole.
 8. The polymer conjugate of claim 1, wherein the polymerconjugate has structure:


9. A method for treating a disease or condition related to dopamineinsufficiency in the peripheral or central nervous system, the methodcomprising the step of administering to the subject an amount of apolymer conjugate, the polymer conjugate comprising a poly(oxazoline)polymer and an dopamine agonist, the dopamine agonist linked to thepolymer by a releasable linker, the releasable linker cleavable in asubject and providing a sustained, controllable delivery of the dopamineagonist over a period of days to weeks.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the dopamine agonist is rotigotine or (−)rotigotine.
 11. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the dopamine agonist is ropinirole.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the polymer conjugate is administered aloneor as a part of a pharmaceutical composition.
 13. The method of claim 9,wherein the polymer conjugate is administered in a therapeuticallyeffective amount.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the polymerconjugate is administered by subcutaneous administration.
 15. The methodof claim 9, wherein release of the dopamine agonist is controlled by thenature of the releasable linker, the size of the polymer, the method ofdelivery or a combination of the foregoing.
 16. The method of claim 9,wherein the polymer conjugate has the structure

wherein R is hydrogen, alkyl or substituted alkyl; p is 1 to 18; a isran which indicates a random copolymer or block which indicates a blockcopolymer; o is an integer from 1 to 50; and m is an integer from 190 to950.
 17. A method for treating Parkinson's disease, the methodcomprising the step of administering to the subject an amount of apolymer conjugate, wherein the polymer conjugate has the structure

wherein R is hydrogen, alkyl or substituted alkyl; p is 1 to 18; a isran which indicates a random copolymer or block which indicates a blockcopolymer; o is an integer from 1 to 50; and m is an integer from 190 to950.